Intro: Not enough time
Almost every day I am confronted with an annoying fact: I have more interests than I have time for. Add a job and a relationship to this and I have not nearly enough time to do all the things that interest me. In short: there is little time for me to run and prep tRPGs.
This has made me obsessed with efficiency, both when running games as well as when I design tRPG stuff. On the design end of things, Chris McDowall's minimalism has been really influential in this and his work is something I consider the gold standard to aim for myself. But it turns out that when running games I am already quite efficient with my time.
Through surveying my players for the FLOK playtest I learned that all of them seemed in agreement that I run my games fast. To give an example: I run complete one shots in under 90 minutes in the weekly game I run for my students. In those same sessions, we ran through most of Tomb of the Serpent Kings in just 5 sessions as well.
So after some reflecting, I figured that I might actually be able to weigh in somewhat on how to run games when you have little times.
Five rules to speed up games
1. After a short introduction, cut to a decision
I don't have players roleplay how their characters met, instead I briefly describe the adventure hooks, ask them to quickly introduce themselves and their characters, and then immediately present them with a clear choice. Irregardless of how an adventure is written, this is how I run it. For example:
The Day the Wizard didn't come out of her Tower: The first room in this one shot I wrote for the aforementioned school game gives players a more implicit choice, but for time sakes I would in the future make that choice more explicit: 'Do you try to solve the riddle or try to find a different way past the sand?'. The option to look for an alternative way past the obstacle is I think crucial when using riddles in tRPGs.
The Day the Dragon Stole all the Children: Thw two entrances in this one shot for the same weekly game make this a very easy choice to present to the players: 'Do you take the main entrance over the drawbridge, or do you sneak in through the dungeon?' If at all possible I prefer to have multiple entrances into every dungeon I run for this very reason: I gives me a nice clear choice to start an adventure with. (On top of that I also think it tends to make places more fun to explore, which is nice).
2. Only present actionable information
There is nothing wrong with beautiful descriptions and indirect clues, but that stuff does take a lot of time. Both to say out loud and for the players to properly understand what information is important to them. So instead, I try to only present information that is actionable in as many parts of the game as I possibly can.
When setting the scene:
I basically just list a bunch of facts. For that first decision Tomb of the Serpent Kings that looks like this:
'You can see a small, square room in the centre of which lies a sarcophagus. Embedded in the lid is a golden medallion. It seems like you would have to break the lid to get the medallion loose.'
This way players understand clearly what is in the room that they might want to have and the most obvious way to get it is explained as well. As there are multiple of these, after dealing with the consequences of opening the first with the obvious method of breaking the lid, my players instantly start to scheme to see how they could open the rest of them without suffering those same consequences.
When giving adventure hooks:
For adventure hooks, I try to give information that doesn't only refer back to the adventure, but also embed the adventure within the larger world. This makes these hooks more actionable, because they allow you to think outside of the limited context of the adventure. And going outside of the context in which something is given is what I believe tRPGs are all about. An example from 'The Day the Wizard didn't come out of her Tower':
The Town of Trollham is preparing for its annual festival, during which Twilla the Wizard is supposed to perform a ritual to defend the city against the neighbouring trolls.
Unfortunately, Twilla hasn’t come out of her tower in months and doesn’t answer anyone calling on her. Adventurers are needed to enter the tower, find a way to protect the town and figure out what has happened to Twilla.
Not only does the imenpending festival give the adventure a timer, it also tells the players that they are free to choose a completely different approach when trying to save the town. The fact that people are calling on the wizard, tells us that you cannot simply enter the tower and the fact that they waited this long and says something about the relation between the townsfolk and Twilla (either Twilla is the sort to not come out of her tower for months on end or the townspeople don't really care much for her).
When informing players about the world:
Finally, whenever players ask for relevant information or when their characters see something they could be expected to know, I try to give it to them in clear and absolute terms. For example, in 'The Day the Dragon Stole all the Children' I start the adventure by telling the players:
Stories say the Dragon’s scales are impenetrable, its fire melts rock and its claws rend steel.
By giving the players this information, they can now be more efficient in their plan making. They are unlikely to run up to the dragon to learn these things only to then have to try again, instead they are given everything they need to know to start scheming in a time efficient manner.
In the same adventure there is also the hidden fact, which players can discover either by observing the dragon converse with its captors or interacting with the dragon:
It [the Dragon] has done so [stolen the children] because it is the only one of its kind and it wants a family.
This tels us something about the world as well as the adventure. This allows you to convey a lot of setting information about your world through information that is relevant and actionable within the context of the adventure, which cuts down on the information you have to provide players with prior to the adventure.
This knowledge is also something players can use in future adventures. E.g. my players didn't kill the dragon, they merely blinded it. Next time they hear of a dragon rampaging, they'll know it is their old enemy.
3. Only slow down when decisions are impactful
If players are not going to encounter any impactful decisions, I cut straight past whatever it is they are doing. Shopping, travel and NPC interactions are some of the biggest time sponges, so this is how I deal with them:
- Is there a reason for shopping to be interesting? If not, then just tell them they got their stuff and, if that information is impactful, the amount of time it took. How do players know what to get? I tell them what's available, ask what they want and them tell them what it costs. If they choose to barter, I resolve that as I would any other action. I don't play it out, unless the impact could be interesting.
- Are there decisions on their journey from point A to point B that will be interesting? If not, I cut hard to the next location. I hardly mention the trip, and only describe what is necessary for players to understand where their characters are and how they got there. Mind you that this is for deliberate travel. Exploration has impactful choices, so whenever I get to that point, I slow down again.
- Is there any reason for this NPC not aiding the PCs? If not, I just make them cooperate, or be easily swayed to do so. Sometimes I do give them a hard 'I won't go further than this' to prevent players from asking too much from NPCs. The folks that really like interacting with NPCs don't have to fret, as I always prepare plenty of possibilities for NPC interactions that are potentially impactful in the actual adventure. Cutting past the needless ones allows me to spend time on the ones that are actually interesting.
When resolving these I often almost describe things on a meta-level. For example: when describing what is available in a town that is known for its markets I will just say 'anything you can imagine, but for rare stuff it will be challenging to find a reasonable price'. For smaller towns, I list the stores and the goods they currently have, adding that those willing to wait can order anything they want that such a store/workshop could reasonable acquire or produce.
Do this stuff with as many low impact aspects of your game as possible and you will save a shit ton of time.
4. Make each roll count
When games are short, you have no time for pointless rolls. The outcome of a roll should significantly change the situation. Everytime this isn't the case, I don't roll and just go with what is most likely. This means I ask my players to roll very infrequently, which is good because it means that cuts out a lot of waiting and fiddling with dice. It also makes the few rolls that do come up matter a lot.The second way to reduce dice rolling is to roll up as many events into a single die roll. The way to do this, is to get everyone's actions in before you start rolling any dice. This way, you get a clear understanding of who wants to do what (including overlapping actions), which actions rely on which other actions, and who (if anyone) is most at risk when the plan fails. Once you know all of this, you can set the stakes (as well as the odds if you swing that way) and often only need a single roll to resolve everyone's turn at once. Take for example, how I resolved this situation during one of the FLoK playtests:
A horrifying many headed wolf is standing right next to the pitfall that it managed to not fall into. The beast can kill a man with a single attack and is getting ready to pounce. Two players and an NPC (a seasoned hunter) are trying to get it to fall into the pitfall anyway, and hopefully come out unscathed.
Player 1: Can we get our hunter to shoot the wolf's leg so it will fall into the pitfall?
GM: Yes, but the beast is very fast so the hunter might not be in time.
Player 2: I think it is our only option, the beast is too strong to get it in otherwise.
Player 1: I will move forward yelling and swinging my stick, hoping to intimidate the beast to buy time for the hunter.
Player 2: I will try to jump inbetween Player 1 and the wolf in case the hunter is too late.
GM: Ok, it looks like the stakes are as follows: Best case scenario, the wolf falls into the pit, most likely positive outcome, the wolf is hit as it rushes towards you lot and trips, most likely negative outcome is that the shot is too late and the Wolf will be on top of Player 2 as they throw themselves between Player 1 and the wolf, worst case scenario is that Player 2 is too slow and the wolf will kill Player 1 in a single attack.
*roll commences*
GM: Best case scenario! The wolf is confused as it is used to people running from them, not towards them. This moment of confusion is just long enough for the hunter to shoot them in the leg and the wolf plummets into the pitfall.
Not every scene will have everyone working together like this, but surprisingly often you can bundle up multiple actions into only a single roll. For the times this isn't possible, just reduce the rolls as much as possible by bundeling up as many actions into each roll as possible. And remember: if stuff is just really likely to succeed or fail, don't roll. Also in combat!
This does mean that my playstyle is not super compatible with most popular resolution systems. To hit rolls are everywhere, and even when they aren't, damage rolls are even more prevalent. Still, the weekly game I run for my students used a simplified version of 5e I made before we switched to Adventure Hour!, which retains both to hit rolls and damage rolls and I still manage to cut down on a lot of both of those using this technique.
5. Don't linger once an obstacle is overcome
This is one that caught me of guard, but apperently this is another one of those things that I do more so than other GMs. In the words of one of my players:
In a pause in the action, you’re likely to cut hard to the next interesting decision point instead of waiting to see if excitement builds again.
I do this with almost everything: When a battle is clearly won, it is over. When a character has been swayed, they are now loyal. Once a year long party which has been bankrupting a warlord has finally been quelled, everyone goes home.
The reason for this is very simple: There's more shit to see and we only have so much time. For the folks who are enjoying this particular NPC they are interacting with, it might be somewhat of a shame that once they give you what you want we go straight to the next decision, but it does ensure that the folks who aren't really that interested into that NPC get a chance to see something new and I as the GM get to show off the next weird thing I came up with.
This doesn't mean I don't keep track of consequences of the PC's actions, but if an obstacle is no longer obstructing the players, I find it best to figure out where the players want to go next and cut to the next obstacle. Basically you are back to point 1.
Bonus: Use material that is made with efficiency in mind
Like I mentioned before, this interest with efficiency also shines through in the material I like and try to produce. The more you can say with less the better. This pertains to character abilities, NPC motivations, adventure locations, and the larger setting as well.
Electric Bastionland is in my opinion a masterclass in all of these, giving you just enough information about Bastion, Deep Country and the Underground to make these locations unique and flavourful, without flooding you with information.
For the current project that is distracting me, one I am working on with Adventures Buffo, this is also the goal we have when designing classes. Take for example this blindfolded archer institution I desinged (click on it for larger view):
The information on the left of the spread is there primarily to give the GM information on how to run the organisation, whereas the info on the right is the stuff players have to deal with. Together these little bits of information tell you a lot about the organisation, without needing to wade through a bunch of text.
In Sum:
I think almost every adult can relate to this feeling that there is too little time to run and play tRPG games. And if you prefer games that don't fit the playstyle described here, I don't know what else to do but emphathise with that and wish you the best. However, if you would like to play more often and don't have time for a 6 hour session I recommend trying some of the above. Because even with infrequent play, you can have fulfilling games in just 90 minutes (though I do recommend a little bit more than that if you can manage). There will probably be some stuff that doesn't work for you, but even then I think it will be an interesting and illuminating experience.
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