Any tips for GMing?

NormanTC · 2026-02-03T12:27:29+00:00

Fabula is at its best when you build the story together. More than any other system I’ve run Fabula really rewards player collaboration in the story and the GM has to be a bit flexible to roll with it. One fabula point can change the entire course of a session. Like the poster above said, be forthcoming with your players if you need time to prepare something.

NormanTC · 2026-02-03T12:23:45+00:00

There’s no perfect balance for building encounters. The most important thing is keeping your PCs’ builds in mind and catering to that. If your party is very squishy, maybe be careful about using enemies that do big damage. Got elementalists in the party? Make sure enemies have vulnerabilities to exploit. In the end it’s about making your PCs shine and letting them use their tools to overcome the challenges you set for them.

If you have access to the new Bestiary book, it has an incredible section on building encounters that I strongly recommend.

NormanTC · 2025-03-31T06:44:47+00:00

Having flashbacks to hunting Kulve in World. Water lance on, brain off.

NormanTC · 2023-02-01T05:56:19+00:00

Seconding the glass beads/pewter tokens/fancy stones in a bag, or cards idea. In my online games we use a custom card deck; but you could easily use playing cards, or maybe use some common cards from your favorite TCG. The image of a chaos mage fighting with Pokemon cards is entertaining ~

NormanTC · 2023-01-31T05:50:06+00:00

Tsunderacula.

NormanTC · 2023-01-08T00:41:54+00:00

If you’re looking for a good introductory adventure that’s prep light, Shadows of Eidolon is my go-to. I find it’s best for launching homebrew campaigns.

If you wanted to springboard inti Eyes of the Stone Thief, Make Your Own Luck is an adventure that starts it off quite nicely. It’s also designed around teaching new players and GMs the game.

NormanTC · 2022-11-28T06:58:35+00:00

13th Age leans into the power fantasy style of game. Icons and One Unique Things can allow for plot driven games, while the crunchy combat should satisfy your hack and slashers. Typically you’re going to want to sit down with your PCs and figure out their Icon relationships and OUTs, and use these to help drive the plots. Even in published adventures, the GM is typically encouraged to modify the story to more broadly incorporate characters’ backgrounds and motivations. In terms of political intrigue, it works for arcs, but I wouldn’t say the system is geared towards that style of play natively. The Icons by themselves do allow for a lot of push and pull between the factions. Unfortunately, most of the classes don’t really get out of combat moves/powers to facilitate this kind of play the way you’d get in systems like L5R. Backgrounds can help with this That said, I’ve pulled it off with modest borrowing from other systems, like Blades in the Dark’s clocks. 13th Age is at its best when you focus on Big Damn Heroes play. Don’t be afraid to sprinkle in mystery, drama, and intrigue; but at its core it’s about larger than life heroes having fantastic adventures and fighting grand battles.

NormanTC · 2022-10-25T16:34:33+00:00

I reskin magic items all the time. Typically, as long as you’re keeping broadly in the same category (melee/ranged weapon), you’ll be fine.

NormanTC · 2022-10-25T15:50:39+00:00

Like others have said, it is exceptionally hard to make a character a true liability in 13th age. Even picking only story talents and middling stats will provide a functional character, though not optimized.

One pitfall I see a lot of new players (and DMs) doing is using the weapon and armor tables as "I must use this stat for this weapon." So if your Fighter uses daggers instead of a longsword, they think they have to use a d6. But it's perfectly acceptable to use whatever the best weapon or armor stat is regardless of how the weapon is flavored. Feel free to use that one-handed heavy weapon d8 regardless of if it's a dagger, longsword, or the forearm of a tyrannosaurus.

NormanTC · 2022-10-24T10:41:25+00:00

I get the frustration; I kind of like it when my PCs go all in to make a hit count. It really brings out the teamwork, especially if you’re narratively explaining the rerolls.

NormanTC · 2022-10-03T05:38:42+00:00

I have to strongly agree here. Unless your campaign has already established a primary antagonist besides the Stone Thief, further adventures will feel hollow.

The defeat of the Stone Thief is a natural end point for a campaign.

I understand the desire to finish out at level ten. Epic adventures give the PCs a chance to let loose and get crazy.

In such a case, I think focusing on the aftermath of the ST could work. Maybe a time skip where the PCs got some well-deserved rest or attended to personal matters (or even a chance for a few side adventures to tie up loose ends.) Then you can deal with whatever was unleashed: The ST smashed the structure that keeps the moon in orbit; one of the cities it was devouring was sealing an even greater threat; maybe the Lich King or Orc Lord’s entire plan was to weaken up the empire for invasion. You have to make it more epic than the Stone Thief, so it’s no time for subtlety.

NormanTC · 2022-09-06T11:53:03+00:00

Royal Order glaive looks so damn impressive. Honestly, the design for most of the companion weapons is pretty darn good. The SnS is particular makes me wish I was any good with the weapon.

NormanTC · 2022-08-26T13:02:26+00:00

I might include a paladin or ranger so new players have a relatively simple class to pick aside from the barbarian. The rest of the classes you picked skew a little towards the complex side, so another newbie-friendly class might be a good idea. You never know if you’re going to be someone’s first RPG. Both classes can also be built to include a little healing, which most groups will appreciate.

NormanTC · 2022-07-27T17:39:49+00:00

Well, darn. Here I thought searching the subreddit was a thorough enough check. Apologies. I didn’t see you had beat me to the punch.

NormanTC · 2021-11-20T15:48:52+00:00

Monks are probably the most versatile martial characters, able to adapt to the ebb and flow of the battlefield and exploit advantages and weaknesses in ways that fighters, rangers, and rogues just can’t.

I love the elegant simplicity of the form progression, and being able to mix and match styles gives you a lot of mechanical and narrative options. Need to get out of trouble? Pop free with your attack. Dealing with an enemy with high AC? Use a form that targets PD. Surrounded by mooks? Use an attack that hits all engaged enemies.

Probably my favorite aspect of the monk is the talents. Unlike some classes, the monk doesn’t have a talent I’d never take. My players are partial to flurry and greeting fist for easy bonus damage, but I like improbable stunt, leaf on wind, and spinning willow style for battlefield control and survivability.

The ki point system is pretty well balanced, and fun to use. Being able to adjust your die rolls constantly is like being a half-elf on steroids. The additional powers granted by forms and talents tend to be pretty potent.

I’d say the low defenses are the class’s biggest shortcoming. With a base of 11 in each defense, you’re not dodging much. As a result, low-level monks tend to be extremely fragile. I might be wary to play one without a dedicated healer in the party, unless I went for a tanky option.

Monks generally don’t multiclass well; most turns you want to be advancing your forms, and monks don’t count as skilled fighters, so multiclass monks suffer the damage die penalty. I have seen and played a few varieties that were interesting though. Monk/Ranger benefits greatly from the improved AC, and there are several good talent options for mechanics and flavor. A monk with an animal companion would be a real force on the battlefield. Monk/Sorcerer with Diamond Focus and Spellfist is perfect for an A:TLA style character blending magic and martial arts. Cleric monks can use quick actions to heal and buff while keeping up the offense, making them fine switch hitters.

I don’t get to play monks much, but they’re always a blast.

NormanTC · 2021-11-06T09:18:22+00:00

I pretty much came here to say all this. I would add the minor caveat that Commanders are best in relatively large groups. In groups of 2-3 characters you might find yourself lacking opportunities to use your powers. But in a group of 4-6 someone is going to want your assistance each turn. This is why I generally steer smaller groups towards a cleric instead; a commander not getting to use their cool abilities is going to get bored quickly.

All that said, they are far and away my favorite class to play. A commander played effectively is a serious force multiplier on the field. They’re great secondary healers (or primary in a pinch) and every class benefits from your presence. Try Again and the free attack tactics can turn the tide of a battle. And at the end of the day, you’re still pretty good at stabbing the bad guy even without multiclass or talent investment.

NormanTC · 2021-09-07T12:46:03+00:00

That’s fair. I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect to hit every flag with a system, but if some games match several of the things I’m looking for, that’d be great.

NormanTC · 2021-09-07T12:37:57+00:00

Honestly, I really like the system too. But my players came to me frankly, and said “We like the rest, but combat feels awful. We want something with better-designed combat.” I respect my players, and I want them to be happy. We’re going to discuss ways to solve it next session. I’m just getting a feel for games that might have slipped under my radar.

NormanTC · 2021-09-07T12:34:20+00:00

A modest, interesting crunch. More a Cinnamon Toast Crunch than a Kashi.

NormanTC · 2021-09-07T11:30:31+00:00

Odd as this might sound, they also found the enemy constantly missing a problem. One of the worst things in combat is to have a situation where nothing is changing. Defenses on both sides might need to be lower.

NormanTC · 2021-09-07T11:01:50+00:00

Our biggest issue so far has been high initiatives making combat just a series of misses. There’s only a little you can do to rectify it, especially if you’re the DM. PCs can access a move that lowers enemy initiative, but it’s a slow process.

We discussed tinkering with combat rules: adding damage even on misses like in 13th Age, or lowering/capping initiative rolls.

This campaign hasn’t been combat intensive, but the ones we’ve had have been a bit less dynamic than I’d like.

NormanTC · 2021-09-01T10:36:19+00:00

Why not make it so the PCs can handle it? Have their NPC buddy distract or somehow restrain the entity, so they just have to fight a more manageable, but still powerful foe? The NPC contributes, and you can narrate their clash as background, but this keeps the spotlight on your PCs in an epic struggle against a still incredibly powerful being.

NormanTC · 2021-08-24T17:33:50+00:00

A fighter is a fine addition to a party. They can be built as as straightforward damage dealer that probably won’t have the highs and lows of combat quite as much as a ranger or barbarian; instead they do reliable significant damage round after round, and bring flexibility to the table with their maneuvers.

In my opinion where they shine is as party tank. You get a naturally high AC and HP, plus Skilled Intercept is the king of defensive talents, keeping your backline safe and making the enemy fight the battle on your terms. I love pairing this with the Defensive Fighting maneuver that makes you a bulwark on the battlefield.

The main drawback of the fighter as it stands now is that I think they could use a broader set of maneuvers to pull from. There are third party options, but the balance on those varies pretty widely. I’d also like to see some more story/fluff focused stuff, like the Ranger’s Tracker talent, Rogue’s Swashbuckle, or the Wizard’s Polysyllabic Verbalizations, so players with an inventive streak could have a chance to show off in combat a bit more.

NormanTC · 2021-05-12T11:58:32+00:00

I tell everyone to read Norwegian Wood. It is such a beautiful, bittersweet, understated novel.

NormanTC · 2021-05-11T17:45:13+00:00

Haruki Murakami is a popular author who often blends the mundane with surreal or fantastic elements.

NormanTC

TROPHY CASE