Movie DnD and Volatile Toolbox DnD

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April 12, 2024

I observed some discussion on Matt Colville on Discord this morning, and it reminded me of an idea I had some time ago related to one of Matt's ideas, but taken a whole different way.

I used to like Matt... just before I discovered the OSR. Then I left and haven't looked back. But I have some hazy memories that have resisted suppression. They haunt me, when I am alone late at night after a cancelled session (like yesterday, when I was too sick to run my usual game). Anyways, in one of Matt's videos, he classifies certain players as 'audience members,' meaning that they just sit back and watch the show. Matt (if I remember the video correctly), takes no umbrage at players doing this. Fine.

I want to flip this classification around on the GM, and ask, if you have audience members at your table, are you writing a movie? After being immersed in OSR ideas for a while, this seems like a headache. Those familiar (which is probably everybody reading) will understand what I mean. Why write a movie when you can provide tools for interactive fun?

So here comes my big-c Classification: Movie DnD and Toolbox DnD. Movie DnD is what a first GM thinks DnD is like: you plan a big epic story and guide your players through it. Because... you're in charge and you think it's cool. You better hope your players are on board, or you're going to have to do some railroading, if your group doesn't fall apart.

Toolbox DnD is the usual situations, not plots point: provide interactive and open-ended problems and ambiguities that allow the PCs to shape their experience. Tired of campaigns failing because people lose interest? Let them shape their own interest by providing simple options that are full of potential. Two guys in the woods is an easy one. Big blind foe worked for me recently. Just have a Cool Idea that seems hard. Players can then poke and prod it however they feel... and it's quite fun. On both sides of the screen (if you use one).

So why not write a movie? Well, most movies are flops. This is true of actual movies and DnD campaigns. What percentage of campaigns go past 5 sessions? Most flop after just a few. Then all your hard work is out the window. You can spend the time to recruit and vet players, to divine if they will go along with your campaign... and still fail. And waste time you could be playing DnD!

On the other hand, cool ideas never die. I have ~4 cool ideas I keep on hand and I usually just remix them for the current adventure. The highly variable mix of players, larger game setting, and my mood even, creates different, and fun results each time! And this is easy to do. Just mix and remix; combine, splice, and multiply the elements.

Your toolbox should be unpredictable, but straightforward enough to resolve each action individually. You should present something that can go out of control. This is fun. This is exciting. A tame adventure is no adventure. Don't you hate movies where you know how it ends 5 minutes in? You can guess the twist? That's how prewritten campaigns go.

Move beyond writing stories. You can do that in Microsoft Word. Play with the people at the table, and don't ignore them for your own purposes. Do you want a rich world in your game? Have it fight back and genuinely challenge, to the point of impasse or death. Go crazy. Be courageous, stupid, and remember, the enemies want to kill the PCs. Let them do that, if they can.


JOESKY Tax: My d66 plant table for my current plant-y megadungeon. This was buried in a python script in a previous post, but whatever.

  "cactus",
  "orchid",
  "lichen",
  "mushroom",
  "venus fly trap",
  "water lily",
  "rose",
  "sunflower",
  "corn",
  "oak",
  "bushes/topiary",
  "kelp",
  "dandelion",
  "crabgrass",
  "kudzu",
  "sequoia",
  "tropical flower",
  "coffee",
  "pine",
  "marsh grass",
  "palm plant",
  "mangrove",
  "apple",
  "bamboo",
  "ivy",
  "vines",
  "tumbleweed",
  "pitcher plant",
  "wild grass",
  "edelweiss",
  "tea",
  "pinecone",
  "rice",
  "coconut",
  "acorn",

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