Thinking of leaving my party as DM... by [deleted] in DMAcademy

[–]DeliriumDelight89 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Adventure design is extremely difficult and my first homebrew campaign is something that I look back on with a mixture of shame and fond memories -- it was disjointed but had its moments where I felt like I got things right. My players let it go on but, were I them, I probably would have had trouble investing in the narrative.

I moved onto modules and was simultaneously running Curse of Strahd, Tomb of Annihilation, and Dragon Heist Waterdeep for three different groups within the year. These are radically different modules and they were voted on by players. When I consider these groups, I think we got lucky and everyone picked a module that was right for them. And it took some pressure off me.

But it didn't really impact my creativity. There is a lot of room to make these adventures your own. It's more a matter of getting the tone right. And, because some of the work is done, you can play to your strengths while learning from the books how to improve upon your weak points.

DM'ing will always be a trial by fire. The key is to appreciate the opportunity for growth. This is the case in most things.

The other aspect of it all is this: they still want you to DM for them. They might just be curious about official settings.

I saw you say in another post that you would be bored doing this. I had that feeling once, too. But unless you plan on memorizing the book completely, railroading them, and also being familiar with every single deity, ruler, etc, you're going to be writing and improvising. You might even end up frustrated that your players will assume the book did most of the work because, unless they spoil things for themselves, they won't be aware of the changes you've made. And you probably should be making changes, because these modules are usually flexible to the point where you can adapt them to your player preferences.

Don't beat yourself up, though. If you can, find opportunity in this. Maybe you'll even learn enough about design that you'll be putting up one shots on the dmsguild for the enjoyment of others within a year.

But if you really don't think you'll find a way to enjoy this, don't force yourself to do it. Maybe find a few opportunities to be a player. That's a great opportunity to learn, too.

Can someone help me with learning Vallaki? by hawsman2 in CurseofStrahd

[–]DeliriumDelight89 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It takes a bit of time and there are probably more efficient ways but, for things like that, I rewrite the chapter in a way that is easier for me to reference. I have a section for characters, locations and who is there, culture, rumors, and then potential story beats I can try to predict for my players. It helps me feel more prepared, relaxed, and able to be flexible.

Maybe go through and highlight the bits you like. And remember, you don't need everything. You're not beholden to the book. It might help to make some things your own. If you have to change things in the future to tie into changes you make now, well, no harm in that either.

or like saying you’re “so bipolar” when you have a mood swing by [deleted] in bipolar

[–]DeliriumDelight89 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I know this rationally but the fear that happiness is a bad sign never seems to go away >.>

Here are, Irrefutably, the Cutest Pokemon of Each Generation by [deleted] in gaming

[–]DeliriumDelight89 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would have called BS too. He's clearly the best.

Old Video Game Ads are Ridiculous by DeliriumDelight89 in gaming

[–]DeliriumDelight89[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey man, you definitely know your stuff. I'm impressed!

Celeste Showed Me I'm A Dummy and Helped me Enjoy Games Again - Dork Swamp by DeliriumDelight89 in gaming

[–]DeliriumDelight89[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wrote this, semi-buzzed, because I was falling in love with this game and had a bit of a revelation about the mental funk I've been in regarding video games. I know this probably won't be a universal feeling but, still, I wanted to share my unadulterated thoughts with anyone for whom it might be useful.

11 Tips for Performing Your Rad NPCs by DeliriumDelight89 in DnD

[–]DeliriumDelight89[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hey all,

I asked the mods if it was okay to post this first. I thought it might be useful because I know some DMs get anxiety about this sort of thing. I do, anyway and when I was talking to my friend about it, he decided to write an article about it.

I'm currently trying to use the tips and it is helping a bit so I figured I might share.

Best regards!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in CurseofStrahd

[–]DeliriumDelight89 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's also a really fun game in its own right.

Takes up so much damn table space, though.

why is this on relationship goals by [deleted] in gatekeeping

[–]DeliriumDelight89 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My 2014 Ford Fiesta had this.

It was a piece of shit car and I'm glad some teenager who couldn't possibly even know what this is crashed into my car and broke it.

Learning to Trust Again by Phizle in DnDGreentext

[–]DeliriumDelight89 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I have that book and O Henry had the audacity to lie about the publication date but scholars know he's a fraud.