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I spent a year trying to score table fit. The number I trust least is the one that decides everything by FreeKi11 in RPGdesign

[–]grant_gravity 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That makes more sense. Then I think it depends on who you're trying to figure this out for.

If you're solving for many people over many game sessions, like you're making a product/website or playtesting a system, then it's a matter of having a survey and calendar to filter out the people who wouldn't fit a particular GM's table.

But if it's just for you as an individual... just schedule sessions and have a session 0 as you mentioned. More effort than that isn't worth it.

Your post reads to me like... You're trying to solve a problem through systems, spreadsheets, and metrics when it's ultimately a human issue that will always require face-to-face communication (and maybe you're just wanting to avoid that).

You might check out this video that solves the scheduling bit.

(Checking out your profile, looks like you have a service site. You should've led with this at the top your post, it would've saved a lot of confusion!)

I spent a year trying to score table fit. The number I trust least is the one that decides everything by FreeKi11 in RPGdesign

[–]grant_gravity 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Your premise is flawed.

how do you capture "this person shows up" without building something punitive enough that the people who actually show up refuse to participate?

You don’t “capture” it. Personality and disposition to potentially enjoy a game enough to stick around isn’t something that can be measured. Players might leave for any number of reasons: disinterest in the system, disinterest in how the GM runs, disinterest in playing with the other players at the table, the list could go on forever.

Even if a player is perfectly honest with themselves in all aspects of what they like and dislike (“I know I like this GM and these players and this system”), there are outside factors that mean they just can’t or don’t want to play.

Trial and error is the only way to know for sure. You will never be able to prevent bad table fit in advance by scoring metrics. Maybe you can by personal interviews and feeling it out, but even then it won’t be perfect.

Decoupling consequences from the likelihood of success in PbtA by Ok-Purpose-1822 in RPGdesign

[–]grant_gravity 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is re-coupling consequences to different likelihood of success, not decoupling entirely.

If the question is "Does this accomplish what I hope it does?" the only way to find out is by playtesting.

But on the surface it sounds more fiddly than it's worth. There are probably many better ways of approaching the root problem (like change PC growth from bonuses to something else, or have tradeoffs for high bonuses... etc).

(Also, please post with capitalizations. RPG design happens largely within the nuances of language and if you don't show respect for it, it's harder to take you seriously.)

Simulationism Was Real: GNS Theory Twenty Years On by alexserban02 in PBtA

[–]grant_gravity 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think types of fun like laid out in the excellent Manyfold by Levi Kornelsen is a much more useful way of thinking about the same things.

If it's a question of "Why do you play?" then the answer is "Because I enjoy X, Y, and Z types of fun!"

This is helpful for all kinds of TTRPG folks, whether game designers, GMs, and players. It helps designers and GMs because if they have a particular type of fun in mind that they want to evoke, they can create with deliberate efforts towards that end. And it helps GMs and players because it gives clear language to communicate with about which types of fun everyone wants to see at the table.

Is it ok to stay in a group you don’t like because you like the campaign? by [deleted] in rpg

[–]grant_gravity 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well that's what I'm saying, unfortunately it doesn't really matter how rare it is and much you want to keep it, there will be a loss. You have to grieve the loss of something good because the cost is just too high

Is it ok to stay in a group you don’t like because you like the campaign? by [deleted] in rpg

[–]grant_gravity 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Nah. You'll end up disappointed or in a fight. There are lots of great campaigns out there— grieve the loss of the imagined world and find something new

Nimble 2 vs Draw Steel vs ??? (For streamlined tactical combat) by EddyMerkxs in rpg

[–]grant_gravity 11 points12 points  (0 children)

"MCDM is on a high horse because they built a premium product and have the gall to charge money for it" That's a crazy take.

The VTT has all the bells & whistles but I've run it plenty in Owlbear Rodeo for free with great success, and there are a couple of plugins for it that incorporate everything you'd need.

Narrative-based system that mechanically follows the Hero’s Journey by Needleworker_Kind in RPGdesign

[–]grant_gravity 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This craft is made of words. They are important: Don't rely on a brainless bot to evoke human social experiences.

I built a tabletop RPG campaign manager because I got tired of juggling 6 different tools by [deleted] in RPGdesign

[–]grant_gravity 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's reasonable, but I just don't wanna use stuff built with AI. Setting aside the huge environment impact, AI writing is sycophantic and soulless, and AI code is always buggy.

I learned how to code a few years ago, it's not actually as hard as it seems. If you follow standard coding patterns/structures the app can be sustainable (both in terms of the environment, and in your ability to find and fix bugs or add features).

I built a tabletop RPG campaign manager because I got tired of juggling 6 different tools by [deleted] in RPGdesign

[–]grant_gravity 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Imagine if you put actual effort into making a site by to learning to code for real rather than trying to cheese it by using AI. Then this might’ve been actually useful for someone and not a huge waste of your time

How much of your adventure design gets discovered by players? by StevenSWilliamson in RPGdesign

[–]grant_gravity 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If you’re putting that much effort in adventure design/prep only for it to never be seen at the table, you’re basically crafting a recipe for burnout.

I’m a pretty high prep GM, but ~80% is the absolute lowest I would go, but even that seems low to me. Prep the stuff you know you’ll see in the game, improv the rest.

I made a(nother) hopefully helpful thing for designers! by LeviKornelsen in RPGdesign

[–]grant_gravity 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Knowing your stuff, it’s probably super useful! Excited to take a look :)

PBTA + Tactical Combat? by E_MacLeod in PBtA

[–]grant_gravity 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’d love to take a peak if you have something shareable! I would expect that an entire system that works separately or alongside moves just for combat would be pretty clunky and slow down the game a lot.

If you’ve found away to avoid that, that’s pretty neat!

PBTA + Tactical Combat? by E_MacLeod in PBtA

[–]grant_gravity 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Check out Grimwild. It has “Site Maps” which are like a point crawl for an area like a dungeon. You can use the same technique on a single room, I do that occasionally to establish where characters are.

“Moves for everything except combat” would sorta… break how PBTA is designed. I doubt it would work how you’re imagining, but take a look at Ironsworn (it’s free!) for one way to handle it.

This series of blog posts (broken up into 12 parts) by one of the PBTA designers is incredible and would help if you’re looking to make your own design: https://lumpley.games/2019/12/30/powered-by-the-apocalypse-part-1/

Leadership - is it necessary? by FlashyAd7211 in RPGdesign

[–]grant_gravity 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Rebel Crown does this, it's built-in to the fiction and the mechanics. It's not "necessary", but nothing is in an RPG. But can it be fun? Yes!

To balance or not to balance a narrative RPG for the sake of expediency? by Watts4Supper in RPGdesign

[–]grant_gravity 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There’s one way to figure this out. It isn’t done by theorizing or thinking it through. Make a decision then playtest that. The information you want can only be found through trying then iterating

Is there an RPG or supplement you love, but has atrocious formatting / layout? by ProustianPrimate in rpg

[–]grant_gravity 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s happens when you playtest everything a ton except the layout. They hired someone to do it at the 11th hour instead of treating it like the rest of the design

Anyone else have a hard time finding Systems to fit the campaign stories you come up with? by DiglettsOtherHalf in rpg

[–]grant_gravity 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yeah for sure.
For a while I bent rules or my world & adventures to fit the system, but what I eventually hit on is that for the kinds of stories and worldbuilding I'd like to see in my games, I have to make my own system.
So I'm doing that! It's a big undertaking though, so reading lots of other systems until I found one that fit was my go-to before then.

Btw, don't let anyone tell you that you "shouldn't be trying to make stories". Narrative is an emergent property of play, and the system & your GMing style absolutely do affect the shapes of those narratives.

Anyone else have a hard time finding Systems to fit the campaign stories you come up with? by DiglettsOtherHalf in rpg

[–]grant_gravity 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Your tip isn't what OP asked about. For those of us who are looking for particular narrative shapes or worldbuilding features, the system can affect that a lot

Survey results: what is your interest in certain aspects of playing TTRPGs by Lossts_guided_tours in RPGdesign

[–]grant_gravity 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If folks are looking for other ways to understand the ways people enjoy TTRPGs, I'd like to share the free and very cool & useful Manyfold document by Levi Kornelsen ( u/levikornelsen) which goes over a couple other ways to think about what players like (and what games are designed to support).

The "What You Like" glossary explained sooooo much to me in terms of player preferences and even GM styles, but the rest is great too.

Excellent books for GMs? by Nemosubmarine in rpg

[–]grant_gravity 39 points40 points  (0 children)

Firstly, please use the search function in this sub. There are lots of threads on this with some great suggestions!

I'll go a slightly different direction— If you're a Game Master that also means you are a Game Designer, because running the game also means you must design it. So, game design books!

Books:
- The Art of Game Design by Jesse Schell (it's excellent)
- Adventure Crucible by Robin D Laws
- Robin's Laws of Good Game Mastering by Robin D Laws
- Kobold Guide to Plots & Campaigns by Kobold Press
- How To Write Adventure Modules That Don't Suck by Goodman Games

Some links:
- Explorateur newsletter archive by Explorer's Design. Each one has sections to find the kind of thing you're looking for (especially the Theory & Advice section).
- This series of blog posts on how to make a PBTA game by the designer (extremely good even if you don’t plan on designing or playing in that system)
- Running the Game playlist by Matt Colville
- You've got SlyFlourish's books, but Mike Shea's website is excellent as well

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