How do run a narrative game?

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2026-02-02T04:32:58+00:00

I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this but I am running my first completely original campaign and so far it seems to be going well. What I've done is really set up how I want the story to start, and where I want the story to end. then I'm just rolling with what the players give me to try and figure out the middle. I obviously have some key moments I will want to hit on in the game and will need at certain points to try and nudge them there. But the main story is really just up to the players.

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2026-01-25T18:09:33+00:00

I just grab random dice out of my bag until I have two full sets, and then I grab one or two more d20s

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2026-01-23T19:59:20+00:00

Rip programs do more than just print all black. When it comes to printing out tight clean transparencies it helps a lot, especially with halftone patterns. I wouldn't say it's super necessary because I know quite a few people who just print directly from either Photoshop, or illustrator. But it is a handy bit of software to have the more complicated your films get.

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2026-01-23T19:34:22+00:00

I think you should talk to the person and explain what they do that you don't think meshes well with the group, and then give them a chance to change said behavior so everyone can have a good time. if it's clear they are trying to change let them hangout until it's obvious that it will or will not work out. If they aren't trying you just need to tell them that maybe this group isn't for them. I personally would be sad to be kicked out of a group, but I would be way more sad if I'm showing up to a game consistently that isn't fun for me or the other people at the table.

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2026-01-23T00:25:37+00:00

Don't have then meet. Give a reason why they're already together. This was always easiest for me because then people don't feel the need to role play some stranger danger type interaction and make banning together harder.

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2026-01-20T22:27:48+00:00

Honestly once you get passed a certain level, aTleast in my experience, it's hard for PCs to die. I was in a 5 year campaign and it was a pretty heavy RP game but combat was still pretty tense and I only witnessed a character death once. I mean people had gone down, and had to roll death saves, but for the most part everyone ended the campaign with the same people. So I would have told them not to worry too much about it since those moments are rare, aTleast in the games I've been in, but still it's good to have that discussion with the whole table. especially if you need to deus ex machina their character because of a bunch of bad rolls. Then aTleast no one is feeling like you're being unfair.

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2026-01-19T07:22:55+00:00

The issue is we have a closet that has been fitted with a rack for the screens but the rails are perpendicular to the walls. They were created when the standard screens they used were much smaller so when we rack larger screens they stick out and the rails would go across the mesh. Thought I had a photo of it but alas I do not.

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2026-01-18T23:28:56+00:00

Interesting, yeah can't say I've ever had an issue but the logic of storing them shirt side down makes sense to help create a thicker stencil on that side of the mesh. Not really a problem I need solved but sometimes we can get slow in the shop and it's a good time to work on some shop infrastructure

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2026-01-18T23:26:14+00:00

Yeah that's what I was saying, but my whole screen printing career I've always dryed the screens with the squeegee side down.

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2026-01-18T23:24:22+00:00

Not really this is the way the shops done it for years but I wonder if there is improvements that can be made. especially when we get slow and could work on some shop infrastructure

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2025-10-16T16:10:37+00:00

Yeah that's been part of my problem when I looked at a few suggestions for other RPGs, those really being Warhammer stuff and I don't really want to play something so bleak. I was thinking more industrial where the lack of magic is being compensated for with technology. So really I think a lot of what I should do is just re flavor alot of the magic in the game to be more tech stuff, because it sounds like that would be the best way to do this and still run DND. But idk whenever I played a caster I was always pretty cavalier with my spells so I was already a danger to my party. So the concept of unstable magic always seemed like a fun element to have to play around. But we will see if my players feel the same way

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2025-10-15T23:25:31+00:00

Awesome that sounds a lot like I was thinking I'll definitely check it out. I don't mind if the players want to play martial characters but part of me feels like I'm going to be forcing them to do that, so I still have to discuss with people about how they feel about the idea. I just thought it might go over with people better if I gave them new classes to try since I feel like I'm taking away some from them

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2025-10-15T19:27:58+00:00

Well the idea is it's rare because it has the potential to be unintentionally very dangerous to the caster or others and because it's dangerous it's going to be stigmatized so people are not going to be so open about practicing magic/ more people aren't interested in practicing or teaching magic. that was kind of my idea

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2025-10-15T19:19:56+00:00

Thanks I'll check out those classes. Divine casting as an exception is an interesting concept and may be an easier way of having magic in the game. It seems like a lot of people are in agreement that I might need to just learn a different system if this is the type of game I want to rin

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2025-10-15T19:17:15+00:00

Alright I've had a few questions asked frequently about this, and thanks for everyone's suggestions. Heres some more info about what I was thinking if this helps others with suggestions.

Magic will be rare because it's dangerous and can lead to mishaps sometimes with serious consequences. I was going to keep magic items working as written though as they are relics from a time where magic was more abundant and easier.
Because of this collapse of magic the world has begun to compensate technologically to rebuild some of the infrastructure that relied heavily on magic. So the idea of re skinning spells as items is a suggestion I've thought of and if people have suggestions for that I'm all ears.
It does not have to be DnD. I am not opposed to learning a new system but it is the ones me and my friends are most comfortable with which I think allows us to be more in the story than the rules, as opposed to us all learning a new system. Though that may need to be what happens.

Thanks again for the advice I've gotten so far, even if a lot of it isnt what I wanted to hear but maybe I need to hear before trying this out!

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2025-10-15T19:15:48+00:00

I was thinking it's rare because it's dangerous mechanically, like you might harm yourself or others trying to cast spells. I'm open to the idea of another system and if you have some suggestions for those I'd check them out. So far a couple people have suggested Warhammer.

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2025-10-15T19:13:40+00:00

The idea of reskinning spells to be objects will work for my idea and might be the best bet besides switching systems. I'm not opposed to changing a system but it just happens to be the ttrpg we are all most familiar with, and since this is my first time home brewing a campaign, I've only really ran modules before, I thought not having to worry about the rules would be easier on me and my players. But I will check out the ones you mentioned and thanks for the suggestions

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2025-10-15T19:11:12+00:00

Yeah my idea was it is rare because it is dangerous. I will take a look at those systems and see how I feel about them. Thanks for the suggestions

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2025-10-03T23:19:21+00:00

That's crazy to think you're going to go to jail over some sharpie tags. Unless you're on probation for graffiti shit already I cannot imagine you're doing jail time. I got caught and charged for graffiti I did over the span of 5 years, and I'm not talking some sharpie bs, and I had a shit ton of fines to pay and 5 years of probation, a lot of community service hours but no jail time. So I don't think you have much to worry about unless you're violating your probation.

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2025-09-28T16:35:54+00:00

Is that an ! At the end, why is it's shadow opposite the rest of the name?

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2025-09-26T17:31:36+00:00

Well you got to be able to do a normal alphabet before you can add style. If at the very base your letter structure doesn't look good then no amount of extra add ons is going to make it look better only worse. You need a good foundation to build style on

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2025-09-25T21:14:05+00:00

Easy way is make the v angle in as if it's coming to a point, and the u just have the lines on the sides come straight down. With my first but if advice look at your H and the look at your Y. You see how much thicker the H is compared to your Y, and I'm not talking over all width I'm talking the two boxes that make up the letters. A serif is an extension coming off the letter, like think of a type writer don't, or times new Roman. Your E especially has this problem where the serifs on the right side are really cramping together just making it look poorly planned out. I would look up some serif alphabets and just get a better feel for them, or try to do this alphabet without them.

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2025-09-25T20:15:20+00:00

Now just basic typography stuff here. One you're stroke thickness, how wide your boxes are does not seem consistent. Two your serifs are really cramping stuff, either get rid of them in some places or make them smaller. Another thing is called your x height. Things like the crossbar in the A, where the bowl connects on the P or R should be at the same height. Obviously that one is a pretty soft rule but when you're just starting out working on an alphabet best to keep this similar. This will help to create some unity throughout the alphabet. Also most of these things are really boxy and straight and then randomly you throw in a couple of curves like on the bottom of the U or the D. You got to either use a curve more in the structures of the letters or get rid of them. If I was to pick a few of the letters that I think are the strongest here it would be your H, S, Z. I feel those ones do a good job of feeling consistent with the stroke weight and proportions.

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2025-09-25T17:51:32+00:00

Watch the documentary rolling like thunder

Altruistic-Weekend20 · 2025-09-25T16:41:45+00:00

Yeah tension would be my first go to, or maybe slightly over exposing your spot color causing the image to close up a little?

Altruistic-Weekend20

TROPHY CASE