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Writer's pictureHankerin

Diverse Challenges

In my most recent release, Aethrjammr, I briefly mention that even in space-fantasy ship combat, 'challenge diversity' is essential to a rousing round of play. This is shorthand for saying "don't just call for DEX rolls over and over." In the ever-expanding art of room design, this area is often overlooked. So, if it's so important, what is the core tool that can be used to see and innovate diverse challenges that test players on all their abilities and stats in a given scene? Well, if you're playing D20/D&D derivatives with six core stats, the answer is right in your dice case. Here's the recipe:


Ingredients:

Journal or piece of paper

Pen (pencils are for the weak)

4D6

Working knowledge of your tabletop game, its themes and style, and a few decades of fantasy osmosis for flavor


Instructions:

Place piece of paper or journal on a flat surface and have a drink of beer.

With your pen, write your room title, adding a bit of flavor. For this example, I write 'Graveyard Calamity.' It's ok if you have no idea where this is headed, just get some thematic elements cooking with the title.

Now take up your noble 4D6 and toss a vigorous roll onto the page. Let them clatter and scatter! If more than 2 dice come up with the same result, roll them again. They are traitors to our cause, and must be shamed.

What have you rolled? Where have they fallen? With your pen, circle each die and note its result. Remove dice and let cool.

For your roll results, use this chart. Calling it a chart is a bit theatrical, but here it is:


1: A STR check

2: A DEX challenge

3: Roll CON to survive

4: INT must be rolled here

5: A WIS check

6: CHA will be useful here


Now lean back from your little project and allow it it to rise for a few moments. Have another drink of beer while you wait. Look at that, the magic is happening.


Under each result, write a tiny note, maybe 2-4 words, on what these blobs could be in your encounter. In my case, my piece of paper looks like this:


Dice roll weird on a journal like mine.. the flatter the better, to avoid 'dice parkour'


To finish, use these blobs and notes, and draw a map to fit. Go as tasty or terrible as you like for a map only you will see. Now, apply the 3 T's (ICRPG Master Edition) and revel in your creative power!


This method is very useful because it reverses the creative process. Much like an artist flipping her work back and forth to 'kick her brain' into seeing new directions, applying the game design aesthetics BEFORE the thematic elements builds new path ways for the session-prepping GM. We know that encounters which test more than a few stats are a good thing. They encourage more player types, reward offbeat character specializations, and generally fight monotony. This method acknowledges that truth first, THEN asks "what's going here?"


Following this flow, I wound up here with my Graveyard Calamity.



My encounters ready to stat and play.


Of course, using this slightly randomized method does require the GM to approach planning with an open mind. If you know, beyond any flexibility, that the encounter in question has to be XYZ, this method may seem too sloppy. No matter what, every encounter should feature an offbeat stat challenge. Remember the immortal Gygaxian proverb: Want to kill players? Intellect Devourers. A group of heroes can demolish a dragon with nary a scratch, but call for an INT roll, they go pale with fear.


Stay thirsty my friends.

-HF

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3 Comments


ddtabletop
ddtabletop
Oct 02, 2022

Thanks for the great ideas. I have learned so much from your YouTube videos and now the blog.

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Richard Extall
Richard Extall
Sep 30, 2022

This is a great idea and I'll definately adopt this method. I also really like the open-endedness of it. I often get stuck in the same routine of creating session ideas and subsequently end up with game sessions that are very similar. This method is the perfect cure.

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lonestar2001ad
lonestar2001ad
Sep 25, 2022

I like the concept of using dice to determine where something will occur. I feel the same could be used for the pillars of the game social, combat, and exploration. Once you decide where those will happen, different abilities would also come into play authentically. You could also take the combats, create a battle map room concept, and place environmental challenges that would require different saves based off a random roll of 3d6. If you can't think of an environmental challenge for the save, give an enemy a special ability that would require that save.


Just train of thought ideas your blog inspired. I struggle making the game more dynamic at times. I can definitely improve my skills in th…


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