The Heart Monitor
Back to the Table. My First In-Person RPG Session in Years.
The last in-person session I ran before the world changed took place on February 26th, 2020. We had just completed running through a Star Wars RPG module entitled: Beyond the Rim. In the module, the players are searching for the final fate of the legendary Separatist Battle Cruiser: The Sa Nalaor, missing for decades. . . .Until last night, I had not run a game in person for over two years. Quite coincidentally, the module I chose to run for my return to in- person gaming also involved a missing ship as I ran the Call of Cthulhu 7e module: The Derelict. Though this module was far more deadly than the last in person module I ran. . .I will say that while I missed the bells and whistles of running remotely, and the comfort of running the game in my own home (sometimes in my pajamas), I had forgotten how different it is to run in-person.
Don’t Fear the Prep
What if I told you that there is something that even Game Masters dread? A four letter word that makes them sit straight up in a cold sweat the night before their next session. Something that makes them question their very existence. What is this four letter word you might ask? Prep.
Introducing GM 1-on-1!
Last week we announced some new content to our Twitch stream: GM 1-on-1. This interview-style event will be hosted regularly on our Twitch stream and will tackle different topics of role-playing. In this month’s topic, The Hallmarks of Horror, we will take a look at what makes a great horror RPG session, how to prepare for a Call of Cthulhu session, and how to really dial in the terror. Our guest will be Veteran Game Master Tyler Hudak!
The “Blueprint” Heist
Picture this if you will. You are getting ready to sit down for your regular roleplaying session and you tell your players that they are going to help you prepare. With a smirk, you gently slide an outline of a building in the middle of the table. You tell your players that they are going to plan a heist and that the blueprint before them contains everything they will need to do just that. And with that, you turn it over to your players to ask their questions while you build the encounter around these questions and the answers.
The One Note Card Challenge. Streamlining Your Session Prep.
Could you fit all of your session notes on a 3x5 note card? For many Game Masters this may feel like it would be an incredibly difficult challenge, perhaps even impossible. However, in my experience dealing with session prep, less is often more. The more focused you can make your notes, the less you will have to reference and the more useful your notes will be. Most of your prep is subject to the actions and reactions of your players so the more prep that you can cut back on, the better. . . .Let’s take a look now at how I streamline my session prep and how you can too!
Toss a Coin to your Players. Utilizing Non-linear Storytelling.
One of the things. . .that I have been seeing a lot recently in the media is the use of non-linear storytelling. What I mean by that is that the story is told somewhat out of order using flashbacks, flashforwards, visions, and even time travel occasionally. We see this especially in the first season of The Witcher, but also in shows like The Book of Boba Fett, and Loki. I really enjoyed the non-linear storytelling in each of these shows and would love to translate them as a storytelling tool for roleplaying, but I feel it comes with some challenges which we will unpack later. So how can we make the best use of non-linear storytelling to have the greatest impact in our RPG sessions?
How It Started Vs. How It’s Going. Open Heart Games— Our First Year!
It’s the last week of December. A special time of year. Time seems to behave differently, and we are filled with a sense of reverence as we have completed another circuit around the sun. The excitement of a new year full of endless possibilities seems to electrify the very air. We gather with loved ones and raise a glass to everything that happened in this past year. We celebrate our accomplishments, mourn our losses, congratulate ourselves on our achievements, and forgive ourselves our failures. We’ve had an exciting first year in business and we’ve learned a lot. In the new year, we look forward to continuing to build our community, raise money for our local children’s hospital, and come up with new and exciting ways to engage with our wonderful group of gaming-enthusiasts. Thank you for being a part of it. Let’s look at all that we have accomplished together in the past 12 months.
‘Twas the Night Before Strahdmas
In mid 2020, as Open Heart Games was just starting to come into being, I began running a favorite campaign [that I had run several times before] in order to gain experience and playtest games online–D&D 5E: Curse of Strahd. About halfway through 2021, as the campaign began to wrap up, the players came up with a nefarious plan to turn one of their favorite NPCs into the dark Barovian version of Santa Claus. They used as many things as they could find from the campaign, including: a bag of holding, an arbalest stolen from the top of a castle, a hollowed out skull from Baba Yaga. Oh, and one of the characters inexplicably turned into a tree. . .you know. . . the normal stuff that happens over the course of a campaign. Before the final climactic battle I unleashed this poem, written by my wife and I, upon my unwitting players. Their response was nothing short of cackling glee. So in the spirit of the holidays, I wanted to share this story with you. Merry Strahdmas, everyone!!
I Need a Hero!
How do we as Game Masters facilitate this desire to be heroes. . .We must give the players something to fight for: a banner to carry, innocents to protect, or a quest to fulfil.
Talk Nerdy To Me: How to Make Social Encounters More Interesting
Today I want to talk about my personal favorite aspect of role-playing: social encounters! Social encounters are encounters which require the Player Characters (or PCs) to interact with non-player characters (NPCs) and try to negotiate, gather information, or talk their way out of trouble. This allows the players to get into character and engage in some minor theatrics. . .Social encounters allow us to engage in a pure form of cooperative storytelling.
Heroes’ Feast
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the United States and, as such, I felt it would be an appropriate time for us to give thanks for all of the things we are grateful for here at Open Heart Games.
Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost. Using Exploration Encounters.
Today I wanted to talk a little about another important facet of roleplaying that often goes under-appreciated: exploration. . .This can come in many forms, from searching for treasure, to discovering clues, and even solving puzzles. . . Exploration encounters are the foundation for every encounter, setting the scene as the world forms around the players.
For the Kids! Extra Life Game Day 2021.
As of today, we have raised over $1,700 towards our goal and have become the largest Extra Life donor in support of our local children's hospital, Carillion Children’s. All of this is possible due to the support of our friends, family, and our wonderful community of gaming fans. A heartfelt thank you to all. And while we are close to our goal, we still have work to do. So make plans to join us once again as we venture into the dungeon on Saturday, November 6th at 10am EST. FOR THE KIDS!!
Sometimes Your Players Surprise You. A Recent Encounter and What I Took Away From It.
We can never be fully prepared for the choices our players may make and we must be able and willing to roll with the punches and adjust the story to suit our players. This recently happened in my Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus campaign and it really inspired me to write this blog about the need for all Game Masters to maintain a degree of fluidity in their games---because no amount of prep can prepare anyone for the choices your players will make and if you give them the freedom, your players will often surprise you as mine did in this campaign.
‘Tis the Season: Five Spooktacular One-Shot Systems for Halloween!
As the season begins to change, the days shorten, the leaves turn, and a chill creeps into the lengthening day. It is the time of year where the rituals of autumn begin to take place: the watching of scary movies, the telling of scary stories, and of course the running of spooky one-shots. But what to run? I scoured the internet to put together my five picks of what Horror RPGs to run for a single night of terror! Bring on the scares!
Open Heart Games Live-Streaming!
In case you missed it, Open Heart Games is now on Twitch! You can catch our livestream every Thursday from 8:00-11:00 pm EST. Last week, we were very pleased to be invited to join the Twitch Affiliate program, which affords us an additional revenue stream, another way to reach our fans, and another way to raise funds for our local children's hospital. A big thanks to our amazing community of gaming fans; we couldn’t have done it without your help! Huzzah!
The Future of D&D
In a recent panel titled Future of D&D, Chris Perkins, Jeremy Crawford, Liz Schuh, and Ray Winninger (all big names in the Dungeons and Dragons world) sat down to tease and discuss the future of Dungeons and Dragons and their comments have set the internet ablaze. . .I wanted to focus today on the future as teased by these Titans of Dungeons and Dragons and what I expect to see and what I hope to see in the future of D&D.
The Wild Wait is over! The Witchlight Carnival Awaits!
In a previous blog, I expressed my excitement and interest for the upcoming D&D module The Wild Beyond the Witchlight. In that blog I shared my predictions for this highly anticipated module. I am excited to share that today is the day to test my prescience! Without further ado, let's jump into the first prediction and see how close I was!