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Those of you familiar with the concept of KISS should know this makes life easier in the long run. I find there are many things some systems (and the GMs that run them) add to their games that can hinder the experience. To be fair, some players and GMs like doing these things, it makes it more “real” to them, but I do not. I do not mind keeping track of some things as a player if it pertains to my character, but as a GM, please do not ask me to do this.
First…carrying capacity. If my players do not start with a bag of holding, they get one within the first two levels of their character development. I know most players do not think about how much is in their inventory, or what they may or may not have access to. There are some systems that regulate this by allowing players to choose what they bring with them as they find a need for it, then limit the number of times this can take place. I find this as the easiest way to handle any kind of carrying capacity systematically. However, I don’t even want to track that so a bag to hold everything works for me. Second…encumbrance. Now, I know what you’re thinking, this goes along with the first one, and you are right. Another reason to give my players that magical bag is to avoid encumbrance. I don’t particularly like “mathy” systems (you know the ones). A bonus for this, a penalty for that, and don’t forget positional bonuses/penalties, it’s enough to drive me crazy. I prefer a flat +/- to the roll, not multiple where I have to remember the PEMDAS sequence. Encumbrance is just another way to add a penalty to the character. Third…random encounters. Ok, honestly, this one doesn’t bother me quite as bad. As a player, it can keep things exciting as you are never quite sure what you’ll run into. As a GM however, I don’t like combat for the sake of combat. If my players are going to have an encounter, it will be story driven (yes, even the ones that are seemingly random). I do not like to put in the time and effort for something that “looked cool” but had absolutely nothing to do with the story (I hate it in movies, and don’t like doing it as a GM). Finally…timing. I barely know what time it is in the real world, let alone a fantasy one. I’m the world’s worst at estimating timing for events, travel, etc. in my own life. I go to the grocery store thinking I’ve just got to get a few things, and an hour later I finally find myself back home (I live about a mile away). What goes along with this is distances, and heaven forbid I try to keep distance with travel time consistent. I finally just told one of my players to keep track of that, it gives me a headache just thinking about it. Gaming for me is supposed to be fun. Very quickly these things just drain the fun for me, at least as a GM. Most of these things drain me as a player too, but there is generally a GM keeping track of it for me. Hey, if it is fun for you, do it. It’s just not that fun for me. I find that keeping it simple works best.
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Posting this a bit earlier than my usual Thursday thoughts, but figured this was important enough to ponder as we rush into the holiday season.
Personally, I grew up gaming with the family during the holidays. That was the best time. We were all present and there for the next 6-8 hours minimum. We could do a lot of gaming. As the family grew though, we switched from RPG to card games. Now that I run a group, and am involved in a few others, we have to take into account our schedules. The regular groups I play with do not involve family, and we all have our own families to spend time with. Generally, I want to keep on gaming (it’s in my blood after all), but I cannot think just of myself. I take the time away to reconnect with my own family, be supportive of their adventures during the holidays. My players also need that time. If someone cannot make it to a session, postpone the campaign, do some one shots, or reschedule. The player that has to miss game night will feel important to the group (as it should be), and excited to return when they can. Above all, do not punish their character in game for their commitment to something other than gaming. Happy Holidays! Rules! Rules! Rules! They are the backbone of any system. Some are riddled with so many rules that there are rules on how to implement the rules. Others have so little it can become controversial and chaotic at the table. I love having rules to refer to, but I hate to be so strict with them that it hinders the creativity or flow of the story.
When I first started running games, I held fast to the rules and relied heavily on one of my players who knew the rules better to help me out. I quickly realized there were not rules for everything and had to make decisions on circumstances that were rules-adjacent. As time passed, and I became more comfortable with making these decisions, I eventually started only caring about the rules if I was unsure how to handle a situation (specifically how spells, items, and conditions work). Generally, I will allow the player to do what they want for flair (looking cool), or to drive their own character’s story. I do not need to ask for 15 rolls because the player wants to look like an anime character delivering the final blow to a monster, or if they want to jump down from a ledge and give it the hero pose (three point landing). I want my players to feel like heroes, that is why we play high fantasy systems like 5e. The rules are there if you need them. I would be lying to myself to say I didn’t need them, but I like to avoid them as much as possible (they can be restrictive). I want my game to be a collective story and do not want the rules to get in the way. If you have been watching our stream, you may have noticed that my players know a lot of the rules. They are really good at playing their character’s knowledge, which I am thankful for, so this makes my job a bit easier. However, they are all GMs themselves. Some are actively running their own games, others are not, but they all have run multiple games.
When you sit down at a game table full of other GMs, sometimes it is hard to surprise them. They know a lot of the monsters and items that are commonly available in the books, and will recognize them almost immediately in game. I do try to alter their appearance and/or abilities to give them a new challenge, but it does not always work. Starting off with a good understanding that this is your table, and some rules may be bent or broken for story purposes, is best. Then, of course, building trust across the table is key. You have to trust the players not to pull a “that wouldn’t happen in my game” card, and they have to trust you not to shut down any “outside the box” attempts to accomplish a task. I like to allow my players to argue their point. How would you use that skill for this task? Why do you think this would work? What is your interpretation of the rule? These are great questions to engage your GM players and let them know you are open for these discussions. Remember, they are there to play (or at least they don’t want to run a game this time). They want control of one character, and look forward to the pitfalls and accomplishments their character goes through. Besides, there is a bit of excitement at not knowing what is next. Just don’t be afraid to say “no” when it is necessary. |
AuthorJodie 
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April 2025
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