Olivia A. I lovvvvve the campaign arcs in CoA. The level by level questing scratches an itch in my planning brain. My question is there’s also so many amazing story hooks in the CoA preview that I’d also love to incorporate into my sessions. How do you balance the campaign arc outline with side hooks and story quests without bogging down the pacing or getting off track on leveling?
PHD20. When running combat, I struggle to keep descriptions interesting or flavorful. Every time someone hits an enemy, it’s difficult to find the balance of not enough (you hit) vs too much too often (can’t be slicing off limbs every time). Sometimes I ask the players to assist but looking for general advice to make this part of combat less painful and more interesting.
Ryan. What would be on your wish list for a more heroic 5e variant that is streamlined and simple like Shadowdark? Things I’m working with (not married to): core 6 stats as modifiers only, one action per turn, advantage over math bonuses where possible, equipment is more abstract, static damage in both sides (only d20s get rolled), spell effects more narrative/abstract to encourage improvisation outside combat.
Nate G. When looking at Monster Books what is your criteria for what a “good monster book” is. There are so many out there that it’s difficult at times to have an understanding of what makes one better than the other. Obviously there’s a lot of personal preferences but would be interested in why your favorite book is your favorite.
Kaasimir. do you have a list of recommendations for short modules and adventures? I like building campaigns by using shorter adventures and combining them together as I see fit, would really appreciate what your favourites are.
Joe C. I’ve been running games for quite a few years now, and I feel like my experience based improvement has plateaued. What are some good books I can read to help step up my game? I already have the Lazy GM’s set. Looking for everything from being a better story teller to books of tables etc. to use at the table. I prefer physical books so I can annotate and they are just easier for me to read.
Tim W. I'm DMing for the first time and really I'm really enjoying it, but I really struggle to just knuckle down and prep. I've done lots of world building and systems building but just prepping for the upcoming session, I find myself waiting until the night before and halfarsing it. Do you have any advice for just locking in and putting in the hardyards to make a fun and engaging session?
Richard W. I have really enjoyed listening to your Shadowdark game develop over the course of time. I am interested in running the game, but I am hesitant due to the randomised nature of the game. When I run D&D I tend to think up in advance a narrative for any NPCs. If it's a true random encounter (for me at least) it's usually combat focused, or if it's not I have a pretty good pre-thought plan of what that character is motivated by. For example, if my players randomly encountered a friendly troll in the woods, I may I just draw a blank as to what they should do or say. I feel like the random and improv nature of Shadowdark would make me feel pressured as a GM to come up with something on the fly. Any suggestions to make this easier?
Gavin the Mystic. Now that you’ve completed a year long Shadowdark campaign. If you were to start a new SD campaign, would there be (say 3 or so) rules tweaks and/or house rules you would implement?
When you die, your new character returns at the same level as your old character but with no experience.
The first time you cast a spell, you don't lose it if you fail.
You lose one round of your death countdown if you take damage while at zero hit points.
If you're not healed at zero HP, you die.
Coots. I have a question on how to design quest hooks that are compelling, but not SO compelling that they can't be ignored. If a beloved NPC is put into peril and they are the only ones that can do something about it, do they really have a choice? And am I therefore subverting their ability to choose through the high stakes that I've established. How do you find a line between making things seem urgent, but still giving freedom for the players to go their own way?
Kaleb C2. I'm starting a Shadowdark campaign next week and thinking about how to end each session of play. Shadowdark seems to be built around the dungeon crawl/oneshot: players travel to dungeon, run in, get treasure, retreat back to town, carouse and level up. Rinse and repeat. In a campaign or megadungeon this might not make narrative or logistical sense. How did you approach it?
