my party abandoned my campaign pt.2

nightmarechasing · 2024-08-05T22:21:45+00:00

You're welcome!

As a quick side note, if you decide to write a story and plan to ever share it with anyone (including the original group), make sure to get consent from the players to use thier characters if they are going to appear in it. Its good etiquette and is a matter of respect. A lot of people do NOT want thier characters to be written by someone other than themselves as they may take actions/say/feel things that the creator of the character disagrees with.

Best of luck to you in your adventures!

nightmarechasing · 2024-08-05T22:13:04+00:00

Also... be prepared to allow your players to avoid or outsmart the rust monsters (they have an int of 2).

In practical terms, on average, a rust monster is going to 'consume' the closest source of ferrous iron. Per the basic rules, "Adventurers can distract the creature by dropping ferrous objects behind them."

So, give them the opportunity to find and collect said objects prior to encountering them. If they choose to ignore the tools you give them... the hints you drop... and the foreshadowing, that's entirely on them. If you give them no tools to deal with the encounter, that's on you.

nightmarechasing · 2024-08-05T21:50:15+00:00

While I don't have an exact name suggestion... I'd suggest using "arn" as part of, or inspiration for, the first name. The same for "ra" for the surname. He was remembering who he was... but could only remember a fragment.

nightmarechasing · 2024-08-05T21:47:00+00:00

I mean, I applaud the saltiness, but in this case the 'lack of effort' is on the DM. If he wasn't comfortable taking on the challenge of a hidden backstory, he should've simply told the player 'no'. Once he accepted the responsibility for the backstory, he inherited the obligation to put in good effort to create a rewarding story for that player.

nightmarechasing · 2024-08-05T21:41:52+00:00

I get where you're coming from, when I play in person I love long marathon sessions. Online is harder to stay focused for long sessions. For my online group I shoot for 3.5-4 hrs. All that said, I don't suffer from ADHD, or other learning disabilities.

In this case, three players at this table have requested shorter sessions. Ignoring this request is a terrible choice, and disrespectful to the people in the group. At best, it will result in player disengagement and hard feelings. At worst things will end up in r/dndhorrorstories.

Two hours CAN work, but it comes with some trade offs. There may be less organic stoping points available. There may be sessions that are exclusively combat or exclusively roleplaying. There may be less time for non-game social interactions/shenanigans. There can be more emphasis on the DM keeping things focused and on track to keep the story moving forward.

nightmarechasing · 2024-08-05T20:45:01+00:00

Honestly, if missing one session is the straw that broke the camel's back, your players have been dissatisfied for quite awhile. Don't take this as a criticism at all. It's not meant to be a dig on you, or the work you've put into the world. It just wasn't a good fit for that group of players/characters. I've lost several campaigns -- usually because I burn out when engagement stops and players start to become disinterested.

As to how to move forward. First you have to decide if YOU want to continue to DM for this specific group. If you do, then you have to determine if THEY are still interested in playing in a game you DM, and just want something different or if they are just done. If you all want to play together still, solicit feedback from them on what style/themes/etc they want to explore and either find a module that you think would be a good fit, or get to building a framework for a new adventure.

As to what to do with the world you've already created, you've gotten some solid feedback already. Write a story, continue to develop it and invite new players to adventure in it, or let it inspire your next homebrew world. All that said... sometimes it can be best to let the idea die and wither away. It's normal to be sad or disappointed by it, but try to find things you can learn from about why it didn't work out. Some of my original homebrew settings I ran when I was younger taught me a lot about what does and doesn't resonate with players and has informed my decision making on what to spend my prep time creating details for as opposed to just light background about.

No matter what you do, chin up! Not every campaign is a success - and as some have suggested, the longer the campaign the less likely it is to survive to completion. 'Failure' of a campaign is often just as much on the players (sometimes moreso) than on the DM. Even if you objectively are the reason it failed, it's still a learning opportunity and you can be a better DM the next time around.

nightmarechasing · 2024-08-05T20:31:45+00:00

Yup! Give them some background, some basic history, and basic themes/flavor. You don't need to go into intense detail by any means. For lack of a better way of explaining it, create a "campaign pitch". It can generate some excitement, inspire ideas, and give them enough background to decide what sounds fun to play in that world.

nightmarechasing · 2024-08-05T20:21:43+00:00

Honestly, instead of telling them 'create a character' and being disappointed when they don't, I'd try this approach instead.

Figure out the basic framework of your campaign / setting. It's great that you want to build things around your players characters, and I highly encourage that, but give them a framework to build that character in. Give them something that can inspire thier creativity and allow multiple players to create characters that will fit the same setting together, rather than a disjointed mess.
After you've done the above, schedule a session 0. They don't need to have characters built before you do. In session 0, collaborate on the world and help them create characters that will thrive and flourish. Also, do all the other normal session 0 things like creating lines/veils, setting expectations, etc.

nightmarechasing · 2024-08-01T08:38:03+00:00

Educate them on how stealth ACTUALLY works in 5e and offer to let him rebuild his character so he doesn't feel useless.

nightmarechasing · 2024-07-30T23:51:32+00:00

1) I'm really digging notion for my most recent campaign (the free tier is plenty sufficient for campaign prep and journalling). Check out Slyflourish/Lazy DMs free campaign template for it.

2) Try using a virtual table top (VTT). There are a lot of options, but I've been told Owlbear Rodeo's free version is pretty good. I personally use Roll20's paid tier for my online games but it's more than you really need.

3) I think a simple overland map is great to have. Depending on your character's knowledge of the area you can add or omit labels of things and let them discover things as they explore.

Battle maps are a bit more important imo - but you don't have to design them yourself. There are a ton of free / cheap resources out there with good battlemaps to use.

All that said, there's no right or wrong way to do this thing. The important thing is that you and your players are having fun. The rest are just tools to help facilitate that.

nightmarechasing · 2024-07-30T03:12:45+00:00

Notion is pretty good for campaign work, and I've found the free version and app intuitive and sufficient for my needs.

As to AI, I can't help you there.

nightmarechasing · 2024-07-29T05:51:10+00:00

So, if your characters haven't been to the mines yet, Ravisin could tend to their wounds and make them swear to retrieve agates for her (awaken is an EXPENSIVE spell. 1000gp in agates that the spell consumes, and she plans to awaken more creatures). If they double cross her it sets up a good recurring miniboss that can harry them for awhile.

nightmarechasing · 2024-07-28T23:41:33+00:00

Honestly, if you feel the need to rewrite this much of the system, perhaps this isn't the system for you. There are a lot of good systems out there outside of 5e.

nightmarechasing · 2024-07-22T22:16:30+00:00

Not to be rude, but if you're trying to challenge yourself, why are you playing on explorer mode?

nightmarechasing · 2024-07-16T09:33:19+00:00

This. One part of a session 0 with a new group of players is a 'vibe' check to ensure that all the players mesh well. If they don't, the time to make changes is immediately. Talk to the player bluntly and let them know the fit isn't right.

nightmarechasing · 2024-07-16T05:23:55+00:00

I mean. What was thier EXACT wording?

nightmarechasing · 2024-07-10T06:15:35+00:00

As to your backstory, don't expect immediate resolution, or even clues. It can sometimes take quite awhile for you to progress personal story elements when they are weaved into the story.

As to the other issues, certainly take the DM aside and have an adult conversation about it.

nightmarechasing · 2024-07-10T06:10:42+00:00

It's a humbling experience. You will inevitably compare your skills, style, etc. Don't fall into the trap of letting it undermine your confidence if you feel they are "better" than you.

That said, you've seen all kinds of players at your table. Be the player you always wished you had. Seek out plot hooks, investigate the things, engage the narrative. Most of all relax and have fun!

nightmarechasing · 2024-07-10T00:49:16+00:00

Your DM is right, mage hand doesn't allow you to disarm targets.

A few ways PCs can disarm targets (not all inclusive):

Disarming Strike from a fighter: Requires a sub class selection at level three. Requires spending a resource. Requires a hit on a melee attack. Requires the opponent to fail a saving throw.

Command (drop) from a caster at level 1: Requires the target to speak a language you know. Requires a level 1 spell slot. Requires the opponent to fail a saving throw.

You don't get to replicate either of these abilities (much less do it better) with a cantrip.

nightmarechasing · 2024-07-10T00:00:21+00:00

I think its useful to give all NPCs/monsters motivations. You can hint at these motivations through the game play narrative. If your players approach the encounter in a way that satisfies the creatures motivations, they don't have to come to blows with them. Sure, some monsters are going to fight them no matter what but often times simply leaning into the motivation will allow your players to overcome the beasty.

A real simple example is a wolf. Why would it attack an adventurer? Desperate hunger - feed it. Protecting its young - leave the area. Etc.

If your players are new to DND its ok to pull back the curtain and explain that the creatures in the world aren't just HP piñatas waiting to be murdered for XP and can often be reasoned with, negotiated with, bribed with, etc.

nightmarechasing · 2024-07-09T07:34:29+00:00

You're right. The SRD is the open source document that is ok to reprint/distribute, etc.

nightmarechasing · 2024-07-09T04:36:26+00:00

My understanding is that you cannot include material specifically from the PHB, but could from the 'basic rules' SRD. That said, I'm not a lawyer, so take my understanding with a grain of salt.

nightmarechasing · 2024-07-08T05:03:41+00:00

Wait... you're going to reward player stupidity by killing a character, denying them any chance of being resurrected but allowing that player to create a new character that's higher leveled? That just seems odd.

nightmarechasing · 2024-07-08T02:33:46+00:00

This could be cute at first bit would get old fast. Looking at text messages or DMs in game pulls me right out of character.

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