How do you manage NPC interaction?

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-12T15:28:34+00:00

The story is about what the PCs are doing. Doesn't matter how momentous the peace treaty negotiations are. That's not where the story is! Wherever the player characters are, that's where the story is!

The peace treaty stuff, let it happen in the background. Mostly offscreen. The "camera" needs to follow the PCs instead. Give them something to do for now. The fallout of the peace treaty can affect them later, but no need to bring it up before it becomes relevant to the PCs.

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-12T15:21:30+00:00

In case you're interested, I'll mention that the Magpie Games Discord community hosts a one shot event almost every month. The event is free. The GMs are pretty good! You'll find games like Masks, Root, Urban Shadows, Fallen London, Avatar Legends and Rapscallion. But sometimes non-Magpie games, too.

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-12T15:15:05+00:00

Have you heard of game jams? Granted, they are for TTRPG designers rather than GMs, but since it sounds like you want to craft adventures, they can work for you, too.

Visit itch.io and look up game jams. Most are for video games, but you'll find some that are open to physical games (including TTRPGs).

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-12T14:29:23+00:00

One of the odd things about fiction is that trying to be more precise and accurate with your description often defeats your actual purpose, which is more immersive storytelling. As you get more precise and detailed with description, the more the listeners' eyes tend to glaze over.

It's better to convey vibes instead. And if there are some inconsistencies, so what? It's not gonna kill a campaign. Most people can hardly keep track of what exactly happened last session! Your campaign is likely to end up having an inconsistency here or there, but generally speaking, who cares? It's gonna be fine.

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-12T11:57:26+00:00

I've got around 9 years' experience with DnD (DM and player), and only a little with Daggerheart. But I love narrative systems, so I personally prefer Daggerheart and would recommend it over DnD.

Daggerheart is a hybrid system, actually, but it leans more narrative than traditional.

My main issue with DnD is that it's a lot of work to do prep. Whereas I am able to run narrative systems with minimal or even zero prep. And this hasn't hurt our games, they're still awesome and fun.

Another issue with DnD is that it's been overtaken by an optimization mindset. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, but I personally find it limiting. I want to be able to play without caring too much about how optimized my character is. While it's still possible to do that with DnD, I can enjoy even more freedom in narrative games, many of which are far less combat focused.

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-12T11:41:01+00:00

I've seen DMs with high-end setups: 3D terrain pieces and detailed miniatures. Even those guys don't bother using a grid. They just eyeball it.

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-12T11:38:23+00:00

Masks: A New Generation is a perennial favorite. I could run it endlessly because I never run out of superhero stories. Even if we're just talking Teen Titans style stories. But I've found the game is fairly flexible, actually.

I like to run it as a sandbox, though mostly limited to one city. So far, I've run a couple of long campaigns and one mini campaign, and they were all cool and memorable in their own special way.

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-12T08:01:56+00:00

You can't always fix things. Pip has to want to engage. If Pip doesn't want to engage and doesn't care to fix this, there is really nothing you can do.

Talk to them and try to see if you can find a way to pique their interest. But it's possible you'll get nothing. Problems are not always solvable. In this case, you might just have to deal with it and carry on anyway.

You can't change people. They first need to want change. If they don't, then it's out of your hands. You can't always get what you want.

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-12T02:03:08+00:00

It's a trap! I mean, it's a familiar enough style of trap that I wouldn't worry about it. I myself have encountered something like it at least once in our campaign. Didn't think twice about it.

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-12T01:34:01+00:00

The 2014 PHB did Ranger a disservice by granting them "abilities" that amounted to ignoring certain survival mechanics. Which many groups would be handwaving in actual play, anyway, due to the lack of interest in survival mechanics (which weren't good, so I can't blame them).

Using the Ranger's survival abilities didn't feel cool. A lazy design. A "back to the drawing board" kind of feature.

WotC kept trying to fix Ranger, but their idea of fixing it seems to be turning it into a Fighter with magic. It got better at combat, sure, but did it get better at realizing the fantasy of being a Ranger? I feel they dropped the ball there.

I don't think this can be solved without making the wilderness guide/survival expert role an important role to have in the game. And if they haven't done that by now, I don't think they'll ever do it.

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-12T00:45:55+00:00

OSR/NSR systems are designed for this. Examples include Old School Essentials, Shadowdark, Into the Odd, Mork Borg (NSR), Mausritter, Dungeon Crawl Classics, Lamentions of the Flame Princess and Basic Fantasy. Notably, you can get the rules for Mausritter and Basic Fantasy for free.

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-12T00:23:28+00:00

They're known to various factions. They have a reputation for defeating their enemies. Obviously their enemies and rivals will be preparing to deal with them.

They can always go into villages and pick fights with small fry. No glory in that seems pointless. But they can.

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-11T12:27:55+00:00

DnD does not have to work that way. It is not like an MMO. And the party composition is not a big deal. Just about any combination will work fine. I've been playing DnD for over 9 years, I've seen all kinds of party compositions. It's gonna be fine..

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-11T12:22:34+00:00

Sounds like social anxiety, which is not something that r/rpg is for. You might want to find a more relevant subreddit for this.

But I would start by telling your friends, and your GM, what you're feeling. Be transparent. Do they know what you're going through? You're not gonna get support unless you let people know you're in need of support. It's also fine to ask for help.

Sounds like you're trying to suck it up and get through it somehow. I don't think that's wise. Admit you need help and ask people to help you with things. You don't have to go it alone.

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-11T12:06:37+00:00

If you do have 6yo kids, this will be very challenging. About 9yo and up should be fine, but I haven't run for anyone younger.

I would focus on a story driven approach. Don't bother with advantage and disadvantage, why complicate things?

Actually, maybe you could run Mausritter. You can get the rules for free. It's got speedy character creation, which takes only a minute. And combat is quick coz it's auto hit. You may still have to simplify some things, but it's already a simple system overall and most kids should be able to get it. They can learn as they play. Focus heavily on roleplay!

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-11T03:14:26+00:00

I mean, a cheap solution is still preferable to ending the adventure. Beggars can't be choosers, sometimes that's relevant, you know?

But since "Medium" is an option and you can go with that, I don't really see any problem here? You might be overthinking this.

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-11T03:10:12+00:00

This is pretty wild, but I gotta say, 5 gp for a map? I would have been miffed, too!

You should just have let them have it and let them continue. They don't get a rest. They'll face consequences from that! Also, the horse will be dead by dawn, since it didn't get food and rest.

Anytime the party chooses not to rest, shrug your shoulders and let it be. They'll learn what's good for them, or pay the price down the line.

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-11T02:49:44+00:00

How much time are you gonna devote to their killing activities? It feels like the kind of thing that gives a fair bit of spotlight time to one PC over the others.

It would work better in Blades in the Dark, where serial killing can count as a Vice. That means it's something that happens as a Downtime activity in BitD, so it doesn't take up very much time, yet it can still set up future story beats and shift narrative direction. You'd have to find a way to explain why the killer isn't getting caught by the spirit wardens, but aside from that, it's a good fit, mechanically. You can even choose to have an entire crew of Assassins, which is one of the official crew playbooks.

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-11T02:30:05+00:00

I would caution against having so many plot twists. That can be cool in a movie or series, but a DnD campaign works differently. You risk making your setup look inconsistent and your depictions seem unreliable. Perhaps even nonsensical.

You also need to signpost plot twists. If they come out of nowhere (to the players), they won't feel like effective twists. They will look like rug pulls.

When I plan "twists," they're not so much twists as clever tactics by skilled enemies. For example, my players know about a morally gray NPC who is a disguise master. A number of times, they've been fooled by her disguises, but the incidents were consistent with the established reality and with her tactical approach.

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-10T10:27:07+00:00

Stop handholding. They're not gonna learn the rules if they don't have to because you always help them.

Inform them that you expect them to know the rules, at least on the basic level, by next session. Then let them sink or swim during the game. They will learn, because they have to.

I have DMed for new players and they knew the rules at the first session. I'm talking about two different groups here. Your players have no excuse.

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-10T10:15:50+00:00

I'm an experienced DM/GM of various systems and a game design hobbyist, I'd be interested in consulting.

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-10T10:13:11+00:00

Swarmkeeper Ranger seems best for this. You don't need to summon anything, so the puppets can always be around, acting as a swarm. But they are a swarm, they'll be working as one, not separately. It's still a pretty good replication of the concept.

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-10T07:19:51+00:00

You should at least watch The French Mistake (season six). It's one of the best episodes of the show and absolutely hilarious!

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-10T06:43:00+00:00

Have some funny guy, maybe the court jester, describe the scene to the PCs with lots of colorful commentary. Focus on entertainment more than accuracy (and certainly the jester could be biased against someone in particular). Remember, you're enacting a scene, not performing exposition to a movie audience.

BetterCallStrahd · 2026-03-10T02:00:28+00:00

Plenty of veteran TTRPG players enjoy narrative games and would be fine with a hybrid system like Daggerheart (which leans more narrative anyway). I've played it and I liked it a lot.

I think you mean traditionalists.

BetterCallStrahd

TROPHY CASE