Rule Zero and DM's Discretion, does it go too far?

If you’ve been playing TTRPGs for any length of time over about a year you’ve possibly heard “Rule Zero” rolled out in defense of a system and its poor rules. To put it simply, Rule Zero is an unofficial rule in the community that means to snip out rules or change them in a game as you and your table sees fit in order to have the most fun possible. Generally, most versions of D&D encourage you change rules as you see fit, as do most other RPGs. I agree with this rule... to a point.

I have a personal policy that if I am going to pay money for the books of a system, I will use minimum 98% of the rules. For many properties that are mainstream such as D&D, Pathfinder, anything from Fantasy Flight, etc., you are dropping between 25-50 dollars a book. For anything over ten I feel I should be able to use the system as designed. I feel the biggest culprit for this was 3.5, where it seemed like every game followed different levels of rules. It made play tedious and having players join my own sessions only to find I followed most of the rules was a chore. If I need to slim down a system or make sweeping changes, I will look for a system that fits my needs. I want my money to go to people who put time into systems I like to use, and I want my friends at the table to go down the same road with me.

Some systems require some “DM’s Discretion” on how to handle certain rulings. I have no issue with this for certain situations such as enemies attacking players, but I do have a huge issue with it when it comes to anything else. I always felt that if a part of a system required a player to roll a dice to determine the outcome, the system should provide a means to execute the results. If there are no guidelines for the result of the roll, then remove the roll! Some systems have optional rules (5^th Edition, Hackmaster 5e are two good examples) which provide additional rules to substitute a current rule, or to make certain aspects of the game more complicated. I think this is a great way to handle certain systems that often get house ruled in past editions. It’s the developers offering alternatives that may help a current set of rules work for a group better, or add an extra layer of complexity that a group may wish to have.

A personal metric I use when discussing a system in length with someone is how well they know the rules off the top of their head (basics). If I hear that a good portion of the rules are “not worried about” or “well it depends”, then I check out from being interested. I see a lot of systems put on a pedestal, but they come with a laundry list of home changes or rules to ignore to make them “enjoyable or playable”. Pathfinder is the biggest offender in recent memory with many locals I know ignoring a lot of the finer rules and forgetting basic ones and some groups making changes to everything from wealth per level to Base Attack Bonus values per level. Some groups ignore ranged penalties and dual wield penalties. Most groups completely disregard anything involving encumbrance, ammo tracking, spell durations, and anything regarding environmental hazards such as thirst and hunger. What you are left with is a basic d20 system with some classes that have modifications. For many this is 100% fine and I can understand that it’s still a framework to work off of, but there are probably other options out there where you can avoid the need to re-write things to make it work.

I do believe in playing a system that you and your friends enjoy, but if you cut out a chunk of it, please avoid selling its virtues to others as a “great system” when you have a laundry list of changes.

Roll20 Tips and Tricks

This entry may be limited in scope, but this is just a compiled list of all of the quick shortcuts and methods that make using Roll20 easier I have found over the years. Many of these are documented elsewhere, but I have found there are still many who are unaware of some of these features.

Start sorting your uploads

Roll20 now offers the ability to make folders within your Library by clicking Add, which can help sort tokens and art that are uploaded for use. This is a great tool when you need to grab a random asset last minute, but want to avoid having to type or scroll. NOTE: IF YOU HAVE ASSETS THAT ARE CURRENTLY BEING USED IN A CAMPAIGN, MOVE ITEMS AT YOUR OWN RISK! IF AN ASSET IS MOVED, IT CAN BREAK THE LINK TO ALL CAMPAIGNS AND CAUSE THE IMAGE TO VANISH UNTIL YOU REPLACE IT FROM ITS NEW LOCATION!

Grab the Roll20 Enhancement Suite

A simple browser add on which provides you with a great deal of extra options and flexibility while in a session. I suggest both GMs and players look into this as it offers data importing into your games to help provide monsters, class abilities, spells, etc. See the link below for more information. This is a must have for anyone running 5th Edition!

Roll20 Enhancement Suite

Changing Grid Size

These days Roll20 offers a very easy way to change grid size under the map options by simply inputting the square's size in pixels in a box. However, you may notice that with many maps this still leaves the grid 1 - 2 pixels off.

The easiest way to make sure you get a proper grid 100% of the time is to take the grid size you wish to you, and divide it by 70. Place the entire number (every digit) in the cell width box.

Below is a list of common cell sizes and the values you would get:

64 Pixels - 0.9142857142857143
32 Pixels - 0.4571428571428571
16 Pixels - 0.2285714285714286
8 Pixels - 0.1142857142857143

Note that the smaller the grid size, the more lines that are drawn on the screen.

Placing Dynamic Lighting and testing it 

When dealing with Dynamic Lighting and laying it out, lower your grid size to half of what your normal grid size it. From there use the Polygon/Line Tool and hold Shift when placing points at grid corners. This will give you nice clean lines, and when you are finished you can change the Grid Size back.

Beautiful

To test Dynamic Lighting, drag a token onto the playing field and give it vision and set the light source values. While the token is selected, use CTRL + L in order to see what the owner of that token can see.

Saving player tokens across maps

When you set a token on the map, you can assign an owner through the Edit pane and assign values to the various bars. As you switch maps, you probably want to keep everything associated with this token for ease of transport.

Open the player's character sheet and hit Edit, then select the token on the board with all options you wish to keep enabled and then click on Default Token. As long as the token's art stays left alone in your Roll20 library, in the future you will just need to drag and drop the token onto the playing field and it will remain consistent.

Use a spare game to store unused assets

As a game goes on in length it is possible that the GM may start to accumulate handouts, monster stat blocks, and even whole maps. Roll20 can start to bog down for the GM as more maps and sheets are visible to them, which can be avoided by making a dummy game and moving items to and from using the Transmogrifier feature. This is a great way to store unused maps, character and monster stat blocks, and handouts that you may need to call upon later. While in a game session you can move things back and forth with no need to reload Roll20, allowing for quick access if needed.

The World's Largest Dungeon, ugh.

I remember when I picked up this massive tome of a book with a parcel of maps attached. It was Gencon 2008, and the AEG booth had three copies left for 15 dollars each. I had always seen it in high school at the local game store, sitting on the shelf with a 100 dollar price tag. Finally able to satisfy my curiosity I grabbed a copy and took it home.

The map itself was massive, made up of 16 large posters which when put together would take up a 5' x 8' area. It was a beautiful map that hung in it's glory in my office for several years until I recently took it down to hang some D&D Walkthrough Maps. Each square was represented (Although small and almost unusable) and each room was labeled on the map with a number to help find it in the book.

800 pages thick and weighing in at several pounds the tome that came with these maps was about the only good things I could say about this book. The map aside, the dungeon itself was a slog and rather boring with weird difficulty spikes. The first 'map' of the dungeon is made for level 1 players but has CR 3+ encounters, monsters with the Fiendish template, and traps that will delete players immediately around most corners and doors. Any adventurer with a sound head on their shoulders would leave immediately, kicking the giant corpse on the way out.

If anyone is stupid enough to keep going they would find themselves in the next area which is full of Balance checks, rooms that seal when players enter with one only odd way out (or just turning around and tossing checks at the door to force it back open) and a host of monsters that will deal significant damage to a party that's having to spend resources to even get through more than two non-combat encounters. The monsters here are also extremely difficult with extra feats and in some cases class abilities. This theme would continue through the entire dungeon.

The way the dungeon is put together means you may not even go to the right region first, walking into an area where the party is under leveled and can get immediately wasted in the first encounter or trap they stumble upon. This is the issue my friends and I encountered when I tried to run it straight using 3.5 (which it was intended for), even after they had stumbled through the first map with half of the party replaced and a new found hatred of traps, they ended up going to the 'wrong' section which resulted in the first trap instantly killing the party's fighter through HP loss. Correcting course they went to the other attached map, only to find that the encounters were still brutal and the dungeon's own level of bullshit made them wonder if there was a third option.

I have tried to do a write up for this book but it's too terrible to even stomach anymore. A great tear down of this pile of shit can be found at the link below, where someone had the time and stomach to put into words just how horrible this is. Oriongates, you get a shout out for doing what needed to be done.

FATAL and Friends - The World's Largest Dungeon

These days the book rests on my shelf, forgotten in the closet. The maps are all nicely folded up and kept in a sleeve, as I do rather enjoy the map. I almost want to track down the World's Largest City but I am sure that the map is the only decent part of that mess as well.

About the only thing it is good for is keeping other books off of the ground

4th Edition, did it really butcher player choices?

When 4th Edition came out I was excited after seeing the preview materials at Gencon, playing a few demos in the second floor ballroom, and keeping tabs on it during it's late days of development. Before this edition even hit the shelves, I had to go to two different stores in order to secure a set of book at launch (the first store refused to order the books for me, a paying customer, because "I disagree with 4th Edition").

Throughout the life of the edition, I would find that my local group would slowly sour on the AEDU power system, eventually refusing to play in any games I ran with the system. My personal feelings were the opposite, I loved being able to keep combat to a level where I could focus on the small things to keep my players on their toes, instead of worrying if certain monsters could instantly tee off on unsuspecting players.

The biggest gripe my players had was they felt that AEDU power system took away agency... which made me scratch my head because these were the same players that rarely did anything more than say "I swing" and roll a D20. Suddenly I had players trying to 'break' the system by asking how they can jump off a table, do a cartwheel, and land and attack two enemies. If they failed at whatever check I gave them, they'd blame "these damn limiting powers" and grumble the rest of the session. "I don't like how I have WoW abilities" a player playing a fighter would say as they spend two turns masterfully navigating the battlefield and setting up a knock back that caused the entire party to be in range of a critical foe.

Spells worked on the AEDU power system in 4e, which I can understand made some people apprehensive since it tossed out some utility spells and made a lot of the standby spells Rituals (which were still usable, just required more time and some gold cost). Healing was redone to use Healing Surges, a system where each character can only recover hit points so many times between rests. The game focused on allowing 'healer' based characters to heal allies while attacking foes, and gave temporary hit points a greater focus to help mitigate damage between fights. When you were healed, often you spent a healing surge which meant you healed either a fixed dice type, or a number of dice equal to your class's Hit Dice. This meant heals scaled with level better based on a class's expected hit point pool.

Milestones happened if the party managed to clear multiple fights without taking a rest. A milestone gave players Action Points, essentially allowing them to spend them to gain an extra turn in combat, among other things. This gave incentive to avoid the ten minute workday, and for a party to push forward.

When I type all of this out I get a sick feeling in my stomach because I -love- all of this but know a majority of my friends hated it. From a DMs perspective 4th Edition took the combat of D&D and gave it a much needed work over. Roleplaying has always been a side effect of D&D, and when addressed in past editions has been very slim and relying on player/DM imagination.

I do think though all of the gripes are because 4th Edition did what past editions had tried to do but failed. It offered a combat system that put the tactical aspects past editions had talked about on the pedestal. Powers for each class gave you options to move around the battlefield, move others, shift, and manipulate space around your character from melee or afar to punish enemies and help allies. In other systems often combat boiled down to get near something and swing until it falls, or hope an ally has a spell to neutralize it. The option to knock things back, do a cartwheel off of a table and land on the other side of your target, or grapple someone and fall backwards was always there. When 4th Edition gave everyone the Dummies Guide to Doing More in combat through powers, people lost their minds because now it was the -system- saying they can do more. "Oh I have to spam this ability over and over" was a common complaint, which while there was a such a move for each class it was just "Basic Attack, but better based on your role". The simple act of adding a name to "I swing" and giving it a keyword turned people inside out.

So in retrospect, I don't think 4th Edition took away from player agency or from combat. It paired down the skill list, made combat more tactical, and allowed for staying power of the PCs to scale with level. The system had a section dedicated to doing 'off the wall' actions such as using improvised weapons, skill checks to do extra things, etc. If anything I think 4th Edition better prepared a DM and the party for thinking outside of the box, even if the Powers built a sort of odd 'wall' to see it. Granted 4th Edition had it's issues with horrible modules, bloated HP for some monsters in the first Monster Manual, and skill challenges.

I am sure there are other issues with 4th Edition no listed above, and I am sure there are other mechanics I have glossed over that people enjoyed or hated. Many of the smaller systems from 4th Edition were carried over into 5th Edition (Short Rest healing with Hit Dice, Recharge abilities on monsters being two immediately notable ones).

No system was or is perfect, but I do think 4th Edition received a bad shake. Here's to you 4th Edition, hopefully one day you'll get a revisit by WotC.

Energy in the GM - Makes or Breaks the Game

There are many, many nights when I get behind my GM podium, sigh, look at the table, and have a moment where I can feel the energy just run out of me at my feet. My players are ready to go, but I am lacking the energy to pull the trigger and announce the start.

It can be tough having a long day, then having to GM. Energy in the GM is the most important aspect that comes to the table. If the GM has energy, passion, and conviction for what they are going to run, it makes the session flow better. Smaller mistakes are easily overlooked by the players, and humor can flow seamlessly with the serious aspect of the game.

For me, staying on my feet while I GM is the key to staying focused and my energy up. I try my hardest to avoid being bland, to avoid sitting still for more than 20 minutes. While talking in character I walk around on my edge of the table, or walk around the table. I use voices, I am willing to use my hands and physical actions to talk for the NPCs. The GM's podium is nothing more than a vessel to carry my notes and to act as a surface to roll my dice. Some players will be intimidated by this approach, but I have found that there are a lot of players that are hesitant to RP who are knocked over the edge to start being in character for more than their actions.

Gathering a binder full of quick and easy notes to reference is one of the biggest aides to a GM. Name lists, encounter tables, monster stat blocks, etc. All of this can help keep your flow up and allow you to feel like king of the world. I went to Staples and grabbed a 2 dollar 2" binder during a back to school sale, and then snapped over to Amazon to grab a box of 100 paper sleeves for it. While it is a work in progress, just having some of the more basic GMing items already in it is perfect and saved my bacon in several games (especially the name list, I am terrible with names on the fly).

Keep snacks on hand for you, and only you, to reach. GMs while running can quickly be deprived of the group's snacks as players munch away, listening and acting accordingly while you are busy doing the prep work. Often I will buy myself a bag of chips and a 2 liter of cola to drink while I run my games. This is a minor thing, but it's a big step to keeping motivated to continue that narrative train.

Ultimately you need to figure out what keeps you going, and what keeps you in the game. I find standing, having my own snacks, and a binder full of quick nabbing notes is the key to staying in the game. What's yours??

It's never 'no', it's 'how'

Players all the time will look for ways to do things that are outlandish, and are completely out of left field. They will look at you from the front of the GM's screen, and will smile as they glance at their sheet and their fellow players.

"Can I use my Acrobatics to grab the propeller's rod, then run around and around to generate lift?"

The natural reaction is to roll your eyes until they generate an electrical arc, then say with a deadpan retort 'No'. People will get upset, the player will try to say that the +27 they have should allow them to do this feat. But ultimately, you knew the answer was no, and they were able to save the wrist strength on rolling the dice.

These sort of things take control away from the players, even if we know going into the situation that it is going to be a futile attempt. One of the biggest things about TTRPGs is the amount of 'freedom' players have. They are known for being a great escape from the boring, 9 to 5 monotony of the real world. This escape for many is the chance to do things that they would be unable to do. Some want to get swole, grab a sword, and take on 5 to 6 Orcs at once while weathering a sea of blows. Others want to wield arcane magics or serve a deity that blesses them with ultimate power. By itself, the very idea of these capabilities achieve a high level of choice to the characters.

When a player asks you a question you are sure you know the answer to already, avoid saying 'no', but 'how'.

How are you going to pull this one way door open?

How is your Fireball going to cook a row of chickens perfectly with zero error?

How will your character use their excellent Acrobatics skill to turn the propeller on the airship?

This does two things: It gives the illusion of choice, and it also keeps the level of narrative control in the player's hands consistent. Nobody likes being told no, and when it comes to something that is supposed to be an escape, it hurts even more. Players should be allowed to experiment and experience the pain of failure for their characters. In some moments, such an action as the propeller example above in a way make sense. It's a desperate attempt in a life or death situation. It adds tension, and the GM only had to ask how.

While the player is rolling their dice to determine how well they were unable to accomplish their task, you should use this time to plan an explanation that will make their attempt powerful. Players love to hear how well they do, for better or for worse. The key to delivering bad news is doing it with flare. It makes you feel more alive, and it lets your players know that you care.

Roll20 Marketplace Review - Greytale's Dungeon Items

I have spent more money on the Roll20 Marketplace than I frequently care to admit. Some nights, I lay in bed and think about the dollars that have went into various tile sets while my wife shows me paint ideas for our house.

This money has went to both good and bad items, however there is one provider on Roll20 that has given me the most bang for my buck: Greytale's Dungeon Blanks. I have purchased almost every set from the Roll20 page for Greytale's, and I find that everything that they have released is spot on 100% perfect. Every set has instructions on how to use the pieces in regards to sizing and how certain pieces will interact with others.

The biggest draw to me has been however the amount of customization that is possible with each set. The Blanks in particular have a great deal of mileage on them, and my players that play in my online games can attest to seeing Dungeon Blank Set #2 for almost every dungeon. Each piece if clear of any what I call 'identifying mark's. You will find no furniture baked into the tiles, no blood spots or even statues. Each piece is just the base terrain, which for me is a huge draw to the set. I like to do my best on making sure every dungeon is different, and having tiles that allow me to have a literal blank slate to work with is great. They offer a cavern set, which is amazing and speaks for itself.

Art wise every set is top notch, the furniture packs they offer are done in the same art style as the tiles which allows them to blend as if the entire set was done as one large piece. This seems like common sense to many people, after all it is probably done by the same artist. But a lot of sets in the Roll20 Marketplace under the same author have various styles, or colors that are off hue from one another. It is a real struggle to find good sets for dungeon layouts, and even harder to find them at acceptable prices. For me, Greytale covers both of these.

If Greytale's people ever read this, I do have one bit of feedback for you: release sets faster please! I still need to pickup the newest set as of this writing, Greytale Dungeon Blank # 4, but I can tell looking at it that I will enjoy using it. My players will enjoy the sight of ramps, and enjoy the change of scenery from the other 3 sets.

If you want to check out these sets for yourself, follow this link here to head to the Roll20 Marketplace and take a look at the sets!

Handling a Rules Lawyer at the Table

At some point in the life of a GM, there has been that one player whose knowledge of a system is infallible. They studied it, played it since they were but a mere child, and are ready to remind you of every little discrepancy in the rules even if it hurts their fellow party members. They can end games and ruin friendships, but most of all they can make the game a no fun quagmire for the GM.

Handling this sort of player is a true test of social skill, requiring a bit of a backbone as a GM. Before you even consider approaching them on this, look at a few factors:

-          Are the players verbally or visibly upset when the Rules Lawyer starts to grumble?

-          Is the Rules Lawyer only speaking up when it is in their favor?

-          Most importantly, is the Rules Lawyer hurting your enjoyment of the game?

If they tick any of these options above, then you need to take action immediately. If you let it linger, it will hurt the game in the long run and people will drop out. Worst of all, if it bothers you the most, it can hurt the quality of the game resulting in a massive degradation of player enjoyment that can be difficult to come back from.

Turning the negative energy the person at the table is generating into a positive one can be difficult. Often times many will understand if you tell them to bring any rules questions up after the game with you, in order to keep the table moving and play time unbroken. However, there are a few who will take this as a way of silencing them, being unwavering in their dedication to the written word of RAW (Rules as Written). The best way to handle this is turn that negative energy into something positive for the whole table. Let them know that you could use their expertise and knowledge in areas such as Skill Resolution, which is often times a section that many players are unfamiliar with. Have them help the group out by providing basic handouts on commonly misunderstood rules that can slow a table down if they get out of hand. Using the person as a tool instead of a hindrance is a great way to turn their energy into something that benefits all, and can help take a burden off of your shoulders!

It is sad to say however that there are many who will try to abuse their standing knowledge of the game for their own goals, or to harm other players at the table. Trying to speak with them can prove futile as they continue their old ways, or worse, start to become distraught at the table. These players should be cut from the roster and a replacement found, if possible. It is the hardest thing to do as a GM, but think of the game and your enjoyment. Think of the time and energy everyone else, including yourself, have put into the table. Will it sour some grapes? Yes, but in the long run it is worth a bit of heartbreak for a long term relief of knowing you can enjoy your own games.

Remember at the end of the day: The GM’s word is law, and for good reason. Never be afraid to back up your feelings or decisions.

In Defense of Group Character Creation

Oftentimes GMs will have their players create the character they need for the game at home before they arrive to the table for the first session of play. Arrays and point buys have eroded the need for ‘GM confirmed’ rolls for attributes and there are so many systems out there that allow for easy character generation for most major systems. Making the character before the game saves a session of time, but what is the cost of this convenience?

I have always felt that by having characters generated before the game starts, we lose out on a chance for our players to appreciate the setting. Watching over their shoulder while they consider their choices allows you to both make sure you are providing an adequate challenge, but you can also help strengthen their bond with the setting. Offer suggestions from the handout (if there is one) about how certain classes can tie in with existing organizations. Talk about the terrain and certain events while they create which can give them ideas as to what would be strong in the campaign. Talking about a setting will churn thoughts among your peers more than simply placing it on a piece of paper. Speak with a tone that shows you care about what you created and you can easily encourage your friends to think about their in-character choices.

With everyone in the same room, you also allow for the group to synergize better with one another. You have an easier time filling class roles, and people can work together to create a bond that works in-character for the campaign. Probably one of my biggest gripes is when players come to the table with multiple characters rolled ready to go when I ask them to roll at home. It gives of a feeling of caring only for the game portion of the campaign, not the setting itself. It’s a nice gesture in order to make sure roles are established to avoid shortcomings, but it feels hollow unless they have a good back story for each.

Newer players will always benefit the most from group creation, with veterans helping them determine the direction they should go for the idea the new player has in mind. Many systems that offer a lot of complex choices also suffer from the Ivory Tower gaming theory where certain options seem appealing, but are useless. These options are traps for new players who only know the basics, and can deteriorate playing experience in later sessions. The group experience can also make sure that the player’s character is in line and 100% correct for game time to help keep the game time flowing smoothly.

The best reason though to create characters as a group is the bonding aspect of it all. Knowing what design process went into each character, interacting with each other by providing suggestions and support for character ideas and themes, all of this can result in a greater experience at the table come game time.