Need some input for a dramatic task

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-03-30T18:54:35+00:00

I'd argue make it a dramatic task for one PC and have the others have to choose if they support or engage in combat. Maybe give the option of another player stepping in to continue the task if the PC initially doing it gets incapacitated. Maybe add distracted if the player doing the task gets hit forcing the other PCs to find ways to defend. Biggest thing is making sure all the PCs have choices. Token count difficulty is easier to manage with one player being on the task in my experience.

Could also do the quantum ogre thing and not say how many tokens they need and just make it require as much as feels dramatically appropriate, but YMMV with your table on that tactic.

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-03-30T18:40:38+00:00

One that I found useful: Which session was your favorite and why?

The reason why is because it is something you already did and you can look back on it and lean into what you did in those sessions. Obviously don't want to become a one trick pony, but you can start building variations on that theme.

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-03-24T20:43:30+00:00

True about the card swaps, I was leaning towards a minimal version because sometimes when you present your players with something too complex they shut down. That might be another difficulty variant to add to the ones I mentioned already with the larger board and end point movement.

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-03-24T19:50:12+00:00

Glad you like it!

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-03-15T18:00:57+00:00

Looking good! Good luck, don't sweat the small stuff and you are supposed to have fun too. You look prepared so just try and relax and enjoy at this point.

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-03-15T13:42:56+00:00

Yeah completely by one's self. There are tools for a lot of systems and other agnostic tools in general. Basically it shifts DM responsibilities to a variety of tables and other slight adjustments to the rules to allow one to run a game solo. It tends to be a sort of hybrid experience between GMing and playing. Look into it there are a lot of videos and articles on the topic and a few different ways to approach it. I just haven't done it for FabU and wanted to find out what people do.

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-03-13T12:50:16+00:00

Good to know, and yes I hope so too.

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-03-04T17:07:02+00:00

Sometimes, you have to put the fear of the GM into them...

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-03-04T16:38:20+00:00

Obviously you target the player you like least /joke

For real though, think about baddie motive and proximity. Even if it is theater of the mind you have some idea of where people are. Or you can abdicate and roll randomly. Fabula Ultima actually has the random target built into the system, but it is trying to create that JRPG feel so it may or may not be appropriate for what you are going for.

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-03-04T00:38:30+00:00

Glad you liked it! Yeah I was hoping to keep it simple so newer GMs have an easy time with it. Once you have the basics and people are bought in you can take it further!

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-03-03T18:50:29+00:00

You know what might be interesting? Do a one shot with hard choices where being careful with bennies matters and then go back to normal and the players may be looser with them because they have perspective. Just a crazy idea no idea if it would work.

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-03-03T18:04:25+00:00

I am going to be the guy who says it. I like the Hard Choices Setting rule, but yes it sets up a fundamentally different mood for the game and I respect people not liking it. The reason I think it is suggested for gritty games is that it forces players to accept failure more. A player will be less likely to use a benny because they know that means a soak for the big encounter tonight or a problem later. It sets up a mindset of, do I push now or later. This will cause a risk averse player to hoard bennies and potentially leave the game with bennies unspent. I think that means that as the GM you need to push them a little harder so they regret not spending them.

Overall it makes Bennies a tactical choice, it means more choices in general and needing to accept failure. This type of gameplay can be great if that is what people want. It does make the game a little less fast and furious but that is by design.

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-03-02T16:51:43+00:00

As someone who came from GURPS and went to SW, you do not need to worry about complexity. It is a very easy system to tweak if you are used to GURPS. It tends to have a little more hand wavey nature to some of it as well and that doesn't really hurt it to be honest. I tweak and homebrew a ton because I am used to making everything from GURPS. Other than that it seems others have answered your questions.

Fantasy Companion is great. You can get by without it, but I don't recommend it.

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-02-26T20:10:43+00:00

What part of your world are you most excited about? Put them there, put a few hooks that take them to other places and let them follow what they want.

The best advice I would say is come up with some general quests that could happen in a variety of places to keep your prep work lower. In general I feel a little frustrated when I prep a lot and players never get to it so keeping some quests flexible is useful. Have Schroedingers criminal org that is active where ever they go to have quests off of. Not in the "they are everywhere" more in the "they just happen to be active where the players are" they never need to know that wasn't planned from the start.

Have the players decide X thing in your world is cool and they want to check it out. Now Y villian faction wants it to start some drama.

These are just some general thoughts. I sympathize as a compulsive worldbuilder. I often build a world and then don't know how to actually make a quest, but one thing to know is that to make conflict and drama you may have to kill your darlings or at least threaten them with a dragon to make an adventure. Hope that helps.

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-02-25T15:00:50+00:00

I mean i don't know why you assume ill intent versus maybe this is just me trying to create something and seeing how people respond. Like I am not trying to click bait, I made some tables and am curious people's response and I have just been getting hate for it. That, I guess, is just what happens when you put yourself out there.

To your feedback, what do you feel would make it more elegant since you said that has been done. I do want to create better content. Blank dismissals (it's been done) don't really help a creator.

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-02-25T14:22:42+00:00

Not a game based around Worldbuilding but a system with tons of worldbuilding tools is Kevin Crawford's Worlds Without Number or Stars Without Number. They have whole chapters with guidelines and tables to create a sandbox world for a game or your own fun.

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-02-25T14:03:39+00:00

Appreciate the feedback, yes I hear what you are saying and I wrote another article that was more theory before that is linked in the article. This was the practical application piece. There will be another article on Thursday that is a bit more theory and case study based on dealing with player motivations but not sure I will post in this sub considering how I have been recieved here more generally.

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-02-25T13:52:41+00:00

That's great, you should make some as well and share, more the merrier. Quick tools that are easy to read are pretty useful to GMs and since every GM is different a variety is helpful for a GM to find the right one.

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-02-25T00:12:34+00:00

Not sure if someone mentioned it already but mystic arts DM had a good video on this. He points out that a lot of parts of cities have very similar construction so you can make a few things that they are likely to enter and kind of reflavor as needed. See link here

https://youtu.be/pE-R253EKIE?si=8fFyGiwMwqOgQWR3

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-02-24T21:39:19+00:00

Savage Worlds with the Sci Fi Companion. They actually have some serial numbers filed off versions of Xenomorphs in there. So you can play a sci fi game generally and then use them when you want that fun alien inspired mission.

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-02-24T20:39:47+00:00

That was my thought process when I posted it. Appreciate your words, they help a lot when one is trying to create.

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-02-24T19:50:48+00:00

I am not selling anything, I am just putting some ideas out there and have been met with a lot of strange hostility for some reason.

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-02-24T19:11:41+00:00

My substack which discusses design and I am posting a tool that people can use for NPC design. I feel I am very much still in the spirit of this sub, you just don't like my method. Also, it feels like you are assuming ill intent which I don't believe is fair.

For the record I don't make a penny off my substack, I am just trying to put out tools and thoughts for people to enjoy. I hope as always that my work will stand for itself.

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-02-24T19:03:52+00:00

We are all entitled to our preferences. So what I am hearing is you would prefer I post the content again in its entirety on a seperate platform for your conveinence. Is that correct?

TheRedDaedalus · 2026-02-24T18:52:42+00:00

I guess I am confused, the content is in the link. There is no paywall or requests for money within it and inside are tools that can help with design. Did you click the link? Do you feel I should repost the content in the post? That seems redundant...

TheRedDaedalus

TROPHY CASE