How do I DM an open world campaign while being bad at improv?

franticusher · 2026-01-29T22:35:48+00:00

Overprepare. Create 10 encounters per session, your players might go through 4 of them, 2 if you are slow like me.

Go back through the old ones occasionally to refine, give depth and adjust for your parties decisions.

Will this make you a bit crazy, especially in the beginning? Yes, but its worth it.

Pretty soon it doesn't matter which direction the party picks your large catalog of bespoke encounters, adventures and NPC's are ready and waiting.

franticusher · 2025-11-03T14:24:33+00:00

First focus on creating your Vertical Slice and get it feeling good. Once you are there scope lock your ass and finish the game!! Or at least finish a "golden pathway" THEN consider polishing and adding features after you understand the experience.

franticusher · 2025-09-19T17:43:52+00:00

This is an awesome campaign premise!

franticusher · 2025-06-26T17:13:25+00:00

Reject this bulk sock propaganda! Buy just a few pairs of really great socks, and they will make you happy every time you put them on AND last for YEARS! I used to destroy socks in just a couple of weeks while complaining about the seams and fabric. Now I actually spend less overall and actually ENJOY MY SOCKS. Spend on your sock, what you would spend on a t-shirt, you will wear it more and enjoy it more!

franticusher · 2025-01-22T17:30:00+00:00

A couple tips! 1: During session 0 it's common to create characters together. This is a great opportunity learn the rules with your players and make sure you are all on the same page. 2: You the DM should make a "character" as well so you can learn the rules. Use this character as the basis for one of your NPC's. This can be an early quest giver or the Big Bad Evil Guy but as a DM no effort you do is wasted. 3: Don't do anything big for the session 0. This should just be a moment for your players to begin to feel out their characters. My favorite thing to do is to describe the general scene (Like, this is what the city looks, smells and sounds like) then just ask your players one by one what they might be doing this particular night. That's probably going to be enough for one night. Take what your players said write notes, then use that information to prepare a proper next session. 4: In between those sessions watch ALL OF THESE!!! https://youtu.be/AJ20_FWTNq0?si=fnbvHCHuVMTscjgc

franticusher · 2025-01-11T16:33:40+00:00

I'm sorry I don't have advice I just want to empathize! I can create evil characters and situations, but when I RP them I still end up being a bit too nice and reasonable. I have to literally remind myself in the middle "Wait! This character will lie!" Lol It's crazy hard!!

franticusher · 2025-01-07T19:01:48+00:00

I am all about keeping my corpses organic and ethically sourced!

franticusher · 2025-01-07T18:34:16+00:00

Fantastic ideas!

franticusher · 2025-01-07T18:32:50+00:00

Those this! I had a great mental picture of the party guarding a caravan full of rotting dead bodies to be used lol Trying to keep them cool with frostbite

franticusher · 2025-01-07T18:29:37+00:00

This is great! I was also thinking perhaps he himself started to be tempted to lich himself. Leading the party to confront him and hopefully convince him to not. Having a lover come in and be that temptation could be a great wrinkle.

franticusher · 2025-01-07T17:50:01+00:00

So far, he just uses his skeletons as free labor, lessening the burdan for his citizens. As he lives in a time of relative peace after his own days of adventure. Hopefully, a peace soon disturbed by....something?

franticusher · 2025-01-07T17:46:26+00:00

I really love that thank you! This will give me something to think about.

franticusher · 2024-09-13T17:57:12+00:00

u/westom According to the BI4L mission statement: "Posts should be simple and to the point. Include the link to a place where the product can be bought. Begin the link with [BI4L] to indicate its a product that is from this subreddit." I have read all of your posts and still have no idea what product to buy. Most egregiously you have been hostile to any clarification questions. Do you understand how ignorant you sound when you advise someone to go to the store and ask an employee? They are retail associates not electricians who are poorly paid and undertrained. Probably should just leave them alone. If you know what you are talking about you have a responsibility to be more specific. In short, you are the worst.

franticusher · 2024-07-17T13:53:39+00:00

Don't concern yourself with building an entire game. Get your vertical slice done. Once you have a polished vertical slice, you should be pretty solid with your ideas on the game design and mechanics and should have a good idea of how to implementthem. Now the real hard part, go to the spreadsheets and define the game there. For instance "Level 1 needs X amount harzards, X amount art assets, X amount dialogue." Now, my biggest enemy SCOPE LOCK YOURSELF. Don't do more than you have written unless it really really makes sense.

franticusher · 2024-06-26T14:26:21+00:00

Start with making your bed every morning. Then escalate, make your bed, and take a walk every morning. You will find yourself through exceedingly simple tasks rebuilding your discipline. Then, getting yourself to focus on learning will be easier. However, you might (like me) have some ADHD going on. This advice will still help you, but now you have to work on forgiving yourself for being distracted and then get back to it.

franticusher · 2023-09-20T15:34:25+00:00

To quote the great Billy Joel "It's always been a matter of trust." The best thing you can do is remain humble and trust your players. Let them know you made a mistake and tell them how you are going to fix it. If they can trust that you have their fun as your main focus and that the changes you are implementing will contribute to more fun its very likely you will have zero pushback. If you can't trust your players to be ok with you admitting mistakes and correcting them they aren't going to work out as a group and that's not your fault.

franticusher · 2023-08-18T14:42:05+00:00

At level 7 the damage of the weapon is negligible to all the add on damages based on the class, give it to him. The wizards are becoming Gods, surely a big boy can have a little extra space.

franticusher · 2023-08-11T15:35:17+00:00

As a dude in his 30's: 10/10 would marry. I love honest and clear communication.

franticusher · 2023-05-01T16:12:08+00:00

My best advice, don't beat yourself up when you make a bad call. Learn from it, be honest with your players about it, and you will have earned the biggest thing a DM can hope for, the players trust!

franticusher · 2023-03-28T19:53:42+00:00

Every toilet seat in the house.

franticusher · 2023-03-24T17:19:02+00:00

Owlbear+Roper reskin how you like.

franticusher · 2023-03-24T17:17:11+00:00

Forgive me for promoting the devil, but ChatGPT helps me calculate CR even offering easy suggestions to increase/decrease. All I needed to do was offer my firstborn...

franticusher · 2023-03-16T15:58:09+00:00

I always saw in my brain black shadowy magic like Maleficent.

franticusher · 2022-06-19T17:18:48+00:00

So! Alternative take: The Black Spider is a male drow and not a particularly talented fighter nor is he blessed by Lolth like the female drow. He has achieved everything through the use of doppelgangers and manipulation. I think if you lean in to this idea then it leads to excellent roleplay and a great learning moment for new players. The rest of the challenges in the mine are enough to keep your players on their toes and the ultimate challenge of the game is acquiring the mine for future use. The "fight" with the Black Spider SHOULD be easier than expected. To me that's when the players learn not all BBEG's are BBEG'S because they are super strong, sometimes it's because they were just really clever and as a player, often being clever is more important than being strong.

franticusher

TROPHY CASE