People Get Ready: Is There Such a Thing as Too Much Character Backstory?

Movies. TV series. Books. Other DMs running games. There are a multitude of sources that provide fodder for our imagination in developing cool ideas that we want to play with in our own games. But how many ideas are TOO MANY ideas? Can you have too many ideas?In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down to answer a listener question from our “Co-DM” Dr. DM (Jason) where he asks the question “If faced with an abundance of ideas, how would each of you decide which things to insert and which to hold onto for later?”4:05 What is your table like and what is your frequency of play?5:15 Bring the ideas that have been really fleshed out that fit the campaign.6:24 Bring the ideas that you would want to have at the table when YOU’RE playing.8:20 Use the ideas that are player-centric first.10:30 Write your ideas down and sit with them. If they still look good with time, use it.12:45 Use ideas that fit your campaign setting and world.13:50 The collaborative story you’re building will tell you what ideas will work best: The Sword of Power.19:20 Just like Lore Tolerance, there is Idea Tolerance. Feed it through your players.26:40 Our tangent into how 5e strength with lifting things can get unwieldy.35:23 Final Thoughts.

Our last episode was the preamble. Last week’s article discussed some of what we learned from playing with new people. But, in this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down with the newest addition to our gaming group, Elizabeth, to delve deep into what went into running the Call of Cthulhu one-shot, playing with brand new people, and how to build a serious level of immersion into any game you’re running… especially horror!0:25 Eben Brooks’ “Hey There, Cthulhu.” 2:33 The Keeper of Arcane Lore Herself, Elizabeth!3:40 Hot take: This was the first time Elizabeth ran a game!4:15 The “Seven Knives” Theory to gaming.6:35 Making the players feel like their characters are a real part of the world.10:55 “System, system, system!” 12:30 Running the game that you want to play in.16:25 Spend prep time with what you think is important and what you like to do.22:20 Having the players be both characters AND audience.27:05 The challenges of playing normal people in modern times. 30:40 Placing a “plant” character in your game: pros and cons.35:15 Giving secrets and clues (or Cthulhu Mythos) to your players before the game.38:30 DM Tony had solved the mystery right at the top of the game… but we didn’t go with it.41:40 Play to the source material: there can’t be a “good” ending in Call of Cthulhu.42:20 Final Thoughts.

Backstory. Character development. It’s one of the most discussed topics in the TTRPG space. And the 3 Wise DMs were faced with the question when a friend offered to run a Call of Cthulhu one-shot for our group. This was followed by a Google Doc with twenty in-depth questions as to the character’s background, motivations, loves, and fears. For a one-shot.If you’ve ever asked yourself the question, “is there such a thing as too much character backstory?”, then this is the episode for you!3:25 DM-Player communication: how much is the DM looking for and how much can you use in-game?4:40 The context of this question really depends on this game being a one-shot, as opposed to a continuing campaign.7:00 Will this level of prep increase the level of investment in the character?9:00 No matter how much you develop the idea of the character… you have no idea how they will play until the game starts.12:50 This question depends very much on the system that you’re playing (including DM Chris’ very old-school D&D way of creating his author, Thomas Albright.)19:45 Will this level of character backstory and development allow a more immersive one-shot?22:50 We might not do twenty questions… but maybe we could?26:00 The level of immersion with teasers that the Keeper of Arcane Lore is creating for this one-shot.30:05 Meeting your players where they are.34:05 Final Thoughts.

You’ve been the DM for a long time (maybe even Forever!) and one of your players has finally said those magic words: “I think I wanna run a game.”So, with all your wisdom, all your experience, all your skills – how do you help the new DM along in the game so that they have a goodtime and the table has a good time? So that they want to get back into the DM chair?For all you Forever DMs, and all you Prospective DMs, this is the episode for you!2:05 3WD drops their Birthday Game Challenge!2:45 The Wizard Washburn gets run through his 70th Birthday Adventure by our own Chaos Engine, Little One, Hawk Morgan’s BFF, Bonnie!5:50 The easiest way to help… be a resource (and DM Chris’ first question on the die roll for a Potion of Healing.)7:55 The trepidation that a new DM has when running a game for experienced DMs.10:00 Always allow the new DM the room to breathe and create their own game.12:00 Let the new DM decide how much they do or don’t need your help – and how the way you play your character can be the biggest help.13:45 “Take small bites.” And how running a game makes you a better player: DM Empathy.15:40 “Investing in Loss.” Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.17:20 Two Forever Tips for a New DM: Use pre-gens and run a concise game.19:00 Don’t make your DM dance when they’re new.24:00 DM Dave sees DM Chris’ Death Sword and raises him the Dragon Slaying Longsword of +50 and our tangent into the Design Teams at WotC not talking to each other in Dragonlance and Curse of Strahd.25:50 DM Dave relates a story that illustrates what we’re talking about.29:15 DM Tony shares how he didn’t mentor DM Thorin well in one of his first games he ran for them.32:50 Final Thoughts.

Possession. Dominate. Alignment shifts. There are a multitude of times where the rules make the DM take control of one of the player characters in the game. But, is that a good thing? In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down to discuss an issue that came up in DM Chris' Tales of the Yawning Portal campaign that he's running for 2 new players to the hobby and a run-in with a dwarven ghost. 1:45 DM Chris’ question that arose with Possession.3:35 DM Tony’s initial thoughts.4:35 The first time DM Dave makes the point that 2 players in a game can really change how the game flows.9:40 The changes that have occurred with certain charm effects.11:10 Roleplaying yourself out of these situations to reveal secrets and clues, plot points, etc.13:55 Do your prep, know what’s coming up… or don’t!16:10 How to use these types of effects to dial up the tension on players.17:35 The problem with immediate alignment changes.22:48 Realize how powerful these effects can be and use them judiciously.24:30 How gaming has changes over the decades – the difference between Gauntlet and Final Fantasy – and how you can always fall forward into story.26:20 DM Chris’ style of being a fan of his players.30:50 How these types of events change with more than 2 players – the Banshees attack in Dragonlance!35:25 Final Thoughts.

Top Secret: New World Order. That’s right, for DM Dave’s Birthday Game (of which we are quickly becoming well-versed), DM Chris ran our gaming group through the update to the TSR classic espionage RPG, Top Secret from TSR, Inc. by Merle Rasmussen.In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down to review the system, and discuss what they liked and didn’t about playing as Agents of ICON. For anyone wanting to dip their toes into playing in worlds like James Bond and Mission: Impossible, this is the episode for you.2:06 DM Tony’s quick overview of the system.3:50 DM Chris’ high overview of how he approached running Top Secret.6:05 DM Dave’s intro thoughts.9:15 The realism inherent in playing ordinary people in extraordinary situations.10:40 How DM Chris approached learning and then running and teaching the game in real time.12:26 Even for experienced DMs and GMs, it can be confusing when running a brand new system.15:54 A discussion on the intro adventure, The White Queen, that was included in Top Secret: New World Order.19:25 The right system for the right game.22:40 How the game fosters roleplaying that moves the story and mission forward.28:00 Would DM Chris have done anything differently having now run the game?32:08 Being Agents of ICON is the easiest way to hook the players into the adventure.34:32 Final Thoughts.

Artificial Intelligence is a polarizing topic these days. From Skynet-style flights of fancy to the very real implications for content creators, it’s an evolving technology that isn’t going away anytime soon. But free from worrying about profiting off of others’ work, using AI at the game table can help provide you with a set of tools and a pair of hands that can help lift the sometimes heavy and time-consuming duties of a DM. In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down to discuss how they’ve started implementing AI into their toolbox, mainly through getting into some good old-fashioned “lonely fun” in some solo-RPGing. For anyone who has thought how AI might effect your games or your DMing, this is the episode for you.3:00 DM Chris gives the background for turning ChatGPT into a DM for a solo campaign from his previous article, and then he and Tony discuss their solo campaigns they’ve been playing in.9:35 Just like any game, you know what your character has and does more than the DM – real or virtual.11:45 The concept of “Lonely Fun.”12:46 Our experiences with solo TTRPGs, like Mythic, and how tools like ChatGPT can enhance that experience.16:30 AI as a tool to craft something you need quickly – DM Tony’s Inn.18:00 Using AI to assist in being another “DM” to bounce ideas off of and to test your prototypes: DM Dave’s new campaign that mixes WEG Star Wars RPG and Firefly: The Board Game.24:40 Our tangent into the missing Ninja class.27:37 The difference between solo gaming and party gaming. In a solo campaign, you’re the star of the show.32:00 Running a solo campaign is a great way to learn how a new system works.35:25 Final Thoughts.

Terrain. Maps. Minis. Music. Handouts. TTRPGs aren’t movies and television and we can’t rely on moving pictures to help immerse our players, so what are some ways that you can help the imagination Build This City in your players’ minds?In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down to revisit our discussion with The Wizard Washburn from Paper Terrain in Episode 112 about using and building terrain and minis but then also all the other ways to help you build the most immersive experience in your D&D game.3:50 Scenery and terrain should be used as an assist. It doesn’t need to be extensive. 5:45 Just like anything else, you have to find what YOUR style is.7:30 Some of the examples of what we use, build, buy, and collect.15:00 All these tools don’t run the game – you and the players do.18:00 Reusability with these tools is key.20:15 Something simple on the table helps to focus the players attention and provide more flavor.23:45 Tools beyond terrain, maps, and minis to enhance immersion: bring more senses into play.39:32 Final Thoughts.

Cobbler’s tools. Weaver’s tools. Glassblowing. There are a host of proficiencies that are part of building a character in D&D that seem strange at first for someone who is going out on adventures. For a lot of players, it just becomes something that you picked during character creation. We’ve come to call these the “orphan” proficiencies.In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down to discuss how they utilize these proficiencies in games, and even if you should, or if you just pass over these proficiencies and get to killing orcs.3:00 The finite resources that are proficiencies, do you want to use one to be a good leather worker?6:35 Delving into the use of the orphaned proficiencies really depends on the type of game you’re running and who’s playing.11:55 You need to allow the space for these types of skills and proficiencies to come into play – it can’t be a race against the ending of the world.13:05 Approaching it in terms of Peter Parker and Spider-Man… you’ve gotta pay the rent!14:40 The effectiveness of certain artisan and craft tools over others: would you prefer weavers’ tools or thieves’ tools?16:55 5e, specifically, has a lot of mechanics to handle most things in game. But these types of proficiencies are more narrative-focused, so don’t be so slavish to the rules and mechanics.19:40 The players invested some level of thought into these proficiencies… lean into them.27:00 DM Chris develops the first Skateboarding Fighter.28:00 To shine the light on these proficiencies, you have to put some thought into building it into the campaign.32:45 It doesn’t matter how dexterous or intelligent I am… I can’t just play a guitar when I pick it up for the first time.39:05 Final Thoughts.

Multiple times a week. Once a week. Every other week. Once a month. Once every several months. We’ve referenced how frequency of play can really alter how you run the game, how the story flows, etc. But, our longtime listener, Dr. DM, has brought up how real life has really gotten in the way of scheduling their usually weekly games and how it has affected his confidence with running the game.In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down to really delve deep into how frequency of play affects how you run the game, and even what type of game you run. Along the way, they offer their eight best tips and hacks to help whenever life alters your gaming schedule.1:45 Our long-time listener (and now co-DM!) Dr. DM, catches us up on his seafaring campaign we discussed in episode 148, as well as his question.5:56 Frequency of play is going to change how you might want to play with certain aspects of the game, like how long it took for DM Tony’s legendary Barbarian to read the Manual of Gainful Exercise.7:45 Tip#1: If you’ve got the time between sessions, use it to focus on your players goals.10:05 Tip #2: What is your usual frequency of play? If you start monthly, it won’t be as jarring if you’re used to playing weekly, and now it’s a month.11:35 Tip #3: Try to end your session on a completed note. And, if you can’t, the beginning recap is your best friend.12:35 Tip #4: Be big and bold with your secrets, clues, and rumors when weeks have passed since your last game – No Sublety!14:15 We return to DM Tony’s Barbarian, Hawk, and his quest to forge the Sword of Power in a once-a-month “Race Against Time” type of game.17:10 Tip #5: If you’re worried that the time between games is letting your DM skills get rusty, start another game to keep “riding the bike.”19:35 Tip #6: Giving something like a quest to forge a legendary sword needs to be given its due, regardless of your frequency of play. Narrative side quests and LOTRs mechanic of “The Fellowship Phase” offer some options.30:30 DM Dave’s tangent about a possible Star Wars campaign utilizing the West End d6 system.31:35 Tip #7: Game flow and frequency of play is going to change depending on how new or experienced your players are.33:25 Tip #8: How long should it take your players to accomplish things? As long as it needs to in your game and your frequency ofplay. DM Tony shares the story of DM Dave’s dragonborn cleric, Bhim, trying to gain proficiency in the longsword.37:50 Final Thoughts.