I've talked about this around the internet in the past, but I've been polishing off the technique lately.
Gamebook style (GBS since everything that is cool must have an abbreviation) is a style I created for GMing, inspired by what I saw as the best ideas from series like Lone Wolf/Ensamma Varg, Fighting Fantasy and so forth. Basically taking some of the tricks and tools those books used and applying them to a conventional RPG session.
It is a technique that is intended for groups that want to make the most out of their game time, have a strong game world emerge in play and try to balance the "game" and the "role playing" elements. It also emerged out of running games for folks who had been working all day, so energy and creativity was not always at the max.
It is NOT a tool for solo gaming or GM less gaming.
It IS a set of options of which you can use some and ignore others. You can decide what are the most important things.
In no particular order:
1: All encounters are deliberate and placed in the world by the GM. Avoid the use of random monster tables that "spawn" monsters. If you encounter some ork guards, it is because there should be ork guards at this location.
You can still improvise some encounters if needed, but they should be logical and fit the adventure.
2: In general, encounters are prepared in advance if possible. A typical gaming session needs 2-5 encounters. You can save some time by creating a row of encounters in advance that suit particular environments or locations, then picking from that list when planning your adventure.
If the players go somewhere you did not expect, improvise as you go, based on the location and scenario.
3: There are no "quantum bears". A quantum bear is a bear that appears as an encounter no matter which road the players take in the forest. If you place a bear in the world, the bear is in the location the bear is in. This also means that if an encounter MUST happen, it needs to be built like that (the important NPC goes to talk to the players before they set out on their journey or the bear is hanging out in the valley that is the only way through the mountains).
4: When an encounter occurs, always try to give the players a chance to react. Do not go straight to initiative rolls. They should have a chance to try using an item, skill, decide on their approach etc.
5: When the players are in a situation that is open ended, try to always have a couple of default options to pick from. If the players get overwhelmed or don't know what to do, suggest 2-3 decent options and make sure they know they can do something else. This helps both players who are not that creative, tired after work and inexperienced players.
6: Travel is never mile by mile or hex by hex. Look at the map and ask the players about the route they would like to take. Narrate the general gist of the journey and have 2-3 encounters take place along the way. At logical points, ask which way they want to take (high ground or through the woods?) making sure that the choices have some sort of weight to them (right or left is a bad choice, but if one is closer to the bandit camp but faster it is a good choice).
Remember rule 3 here. The two paths MUST be distinct.
7: Item driven game play. More relevant in fantasy games, but don't be afraid of giving the players lots of single use special anad magical items and encourage them to use what they have in their backpacks. Logic can be ignored a little here. Why does the goblin have a clay smoke bomb? Would a key we found in a swamp really fit this door? Its an adventure.
Single use items also let them "cheat" dangerous monsters which makes the players feel clever, but don't break the campaign because they are single use.
8: Skip boring loot. Defeating a bunch of goblins does not award 12 short swords, 12 helmets, 12 right boots etc.
It awards 1 helmet and 7 gold coins. Loot from casual battles should have only a couple of interesting things, the rest is broken, rusted or disgusting. If you have players who want to make money salvaging old swords, just give them a few extra coins instead.
9: Location based dungeons. A dungeon does not consist of 40 rooms (27 of which contain spiderwebs and old boots).
Instead a dungeon has a couple of actual locations with interesting stuff and the rest is narrated past most of the time. Large dungeons can be split into sectors or quarters.
"As you do a quick search of the lower parts of the caves, you find a lot of winding passages and signs of goblin shit. Of interest you find a narrow passage where you can hear water on the other side, an old oak door that seems to be blocked in some way and a metal door, heavily rusted. What do you want to do?"
If a player insists on doing something in the passages,they can. Maybe they want to collect some goblin shit. But we skip the entire "okay then we search the next 10 feet for traps and doors".
You can still use a real dungeon map, just circle the important stuff.
This also applies to travel. If the ride through the woods has no locations, just tell them what its like and move along.
10: You can dump info and lore in narration. This works both to give the players some info (since the lazy assholes never read the book) and to help them feel like their characters know the world. "You see that the men are bearing the insignia of Lothar the Wide-eyed, the robber baron that is reputed to have ordered the burning of multiple villages in this region" or "As a ranger, you know that these plants are often valued by house wives who want to poison their husbands".
Honestly, you can even do this when the characters might not know or have no way to know. "The creature standing in front of you is the product of a hideous experiment gone wrong". Some players don't like doing that, so do as you see fit.
That is the 10 commandments such as it were. As noted you can skip some of these, modify them, strengthen some, but it is a very effective and efficient way of running games (plus it can be a lot of fun as the GM as it makes you think a bit more about things.
It IS developed with an eye towards traditional fantasy campaigns, but don't let that stop you.
Gamebook style (GBS since everything that is cool must have an abbreviation) is a style I created for GMing, inspired by what I saw as the best ideas from series like Lone Wolf/Ensamma Varg, Fighting Fantasy and so forth. Basically taking some of the tricks and tools those books used and applying them to a conventional RPG session.
It is a technique that is intended for groups that want to make the most out of their game time, have a strong game world emerge in play and try to balance the "game" and the "role playing" elements. It also emerged out of running games for folks who had been working all day, so energy and creativity was not always at the max.
It is NOT a tool for solo gaming or GM less gaming.
It IS a set of options of which you can use some and ignore others. You can decide what are the most important things.
In no particular order:
1: All encounters are deliberate and placed in the world by the GM. Avoid the use of random monster tables that "spawn" monsters. If you encounter some ork guards, it is because there should be ork guards at this location.
You can still improvise some encounters if needed, but they should be logical and fit the adventure.
2: In general, encounters are prepared in advance if possible. A typical gaming session needs 2-5 encounters. You can save some time by creating a row of encounters in advance that suit particular environments or locations, then picking from that list when planning your adventure.
If the players go somewhere you did not expect, improvise as you go, based on the location and scenario.
3: There are no "quantum bears". A quantum bear is a bear that appears as an encounter no matter which road the players take in the forest. If you place a bear in the world, the bear is in the location the bear is in. This also means that if an encounter MUST happen, it needs to be built like that (the important NPC goes to talk to the players before they set out on their journey or the bear is hanging out in the valley that is the only way through the mountains).
4: When an encounter occurs, always try to give the players a chance to react. Do not go straight to initiative rolls. They should have a chance to try using an item, skill, decide on their approach etc.
5: When the players are in a situation that is open ended, try to always have a couple of default options to pick from. If the players get overwhelmed or don't know what to do, suggest 2-3 decent options and make sure they know they can do something else. This helps both players who are not that creative, tired after work and inexperienced players.
6: Travel is never mile by mile or hex by hex. Look at the map and ask the players about the route they would like to take. Narrate the general gist of the journey and have 2-3 encounters take place along the way. At logical points, ask which way they want to take (high ground or through the woods?) making sure that the choices have some sort of weight to them (right or left is a bad choice, but if one is closer to the bandit camp but faster it is a good choice).
Remember rule 3 here. The two paths MUST be distinct.
7: Item driven game play. More relevant in fantasy games, but don't be afraid of giving the players lots of single use special anad magical items and encourage them to use what they have in their backpacks. Logic can be ignored a little here. Why does the goblin have a clay smoke bomb? Would a key we found in a swamp really fit this door? Its an adventure.
Single use items also let them "cheat" dangerous monsters which makes the players feel clever, but don't break the campaign because they are single use.
8: Skip boring loot. Defeating a bunch of goblins does not award 12 short swords, 12 helmets, 12 right boots etc.
It awards 1 helmet and 7 gold coins. Loot from casual battles should have only a couple of interesting things, the rest is broken, rusted or disgusting. If you have players who want to make money salvaging old swords, just give them a few extra coins instead.
9: Location based dungeons. A dungeon does not consist of 40 rooms (27 of which contain spiderwebs and old boots).
Instead a dungeon has a couple of actual locations with interesting stuff and the rest is narrated past most of the time. Large dungeons can be split into sectors or quarters.
"As you do a quick search of the lower parts of the caves, you find a lot of winding passages and signs of goblin shit. Of interest you find a narrow passage where you can hear water on the other side, an old oak door that seems to be blocked in some way and a metal door, heavily rusted. What do you want to do?"
If a player insists on doing something in the passages,they can. Maybe they want to collect some goblin shit. But we skip the entire "okay then we search the next 10 feet for traps and doors".
You can still use a real dungeon map, just circle the important stuff.
This also applies to travel. If the ride through the woods has no locations, just tell them what its like and move along.
10: You can dump info and lore in narration. This works both to give the players some info (since the lazy assholes never read the book) and to help them feel like their characters know the world. "You see that the men are bearing the insignia of Lothar the Wide-eyed, the robber baron that is reputed to have ordered the burning of multiple villages in this region" or "As a ranger, you know that these plants are often valued by house wives who want to poison their husbands".
Honestly, you can even do this when the characters might not know or have no way to know. "The creature standing in front of you is the product of a hideous experiment gone wrong". Some players don't like doing that, so do as you see fit.
That is the 10 commandments such as it were. As noted you can skip some of these, modify them, strengthen some, but it is a very effective and efficient way of running games (plus it can be a lot of fun as the GM as it makes you think a bit more about things.
It IS developed with an eye towards traditional fantasy campaigns, but don't let that stop you.
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