Ozzy marched across the empty, grey landscape toward a towering stone keep. He shivered, feeling nervous jitters down his body. Coming to his master’s home was not what Ozzy had in mind, but looking at the determined faces of his friends, he hoped that they had made the right choice.
The Far Side of the Table: Warlocks and Patrons Read More »
Welcome to the table! This session was the last in the campaign. I had been planning it for a while, yet ending the campaign was a real challenge. I left the table hoping that everyone felt fulfilled or at least happy with how things wrapped up. Today, let’s talk about ending campaigns and the lessons
The Far Side of the Table: Ending a Campaign Read More »
Kara’s chest flared painfully with each breath. Next to her, Strass’s left arm hung uselessly at his side. Thick, muscular tentacles lay around them, writhing as if still controlled by their monstrous master. A few dozen feet before them, the kraken lay defeated, its great yellow eyes unmoving. Nearby, Azreal tended to the large gash
The Far Side of the Table: Breaking Expectations Read More »
It was a sunny, clear day in Greychapel. A light breeze carried the smell of last night’s rain. Markus, Holly, and Sebastian stood outside the Goldfinch Inn, soaking in the atmosphere around them. Markus laughed, struck by the difference of the fine day before him and the dark, cavernous sewers that they were trudging through
The Far Side of the Table: All about the Experience Read More »
Leaning over the large mahogany table in Lord Boler’s war room, Strass, Azreal, and Kara surveyed the various maps and plans laid out across it. Nearby, Val’s body lay on a low bench, a bone-white sheet draped across his still form. A heavy silence hung in the air, the only sound being the steady drum
The Far Side of the Table: Narrative Mistakes Read More »
Rummaging through the worn backpack, Strass pulled out and counted each potion of mind-shielding—three remained. Sharing a knowing glance with his friends, Strass passed out the potions: first to Kara, next Azreal, and then he motioned for Val to take one, but the rogue waved it away. Quaffing their remaining potions, the heroes prepared to
The Far Side of the Table: Death at the Table—How Do We Prepare for It? Read More »
Azreal smiled grimly as his shield blocked the flying debris. The paladin surveyed the scene before him. The tower room was decimated, and the vicious battle between Azreal’s companions and the red wizard was looking dire. Squaring off in the center of the room was Strass and the red mage, a freshly launched fireball forcing
The Far Side of the Table: Analyzing GM Mistakes, Part 2 Read More »
Val clumsily brought his eighth glass of whiskey to his lips, wondering if, finally, this would be the shot that would do him in. The shouts of combat and explosions rang in his ears, and through his swimming vision and equally muddled thoughts, the image of Tyrash, his grim smile and the explosive barrel at
The Far Side of the Table: Adding New Characters to Your Game Read More »
Welcome to the table. Every GM makes mistakes. Sometimes the mistake goes unnoticed, or the GM quickly remedies the situation without the players ever being aware that there was a problem in the first place. Other times, GMs make mistakes that bring the game to a halt, forcing both the players and the GM to
The Far Side of the Table: Analyzing GM Mistakes, Part 1 Read More »
Strass was lost. Surrounded on three sides by towering stone walls, he groaned in frustration and looked to his two companions. Val and Azreal stood nearby, arguing over a crudely drawn map. Taking out his axe, Strass felt the comforting weight in his hands. He smiled as he imagined using it on Faldren the deceiver.
The Far Side of the Table: Giving Players Metanarrative Information Read More »
Tyrash’s arms ached, and a sharp pain in his spine reminded him of his recent scrape with a group of thugs. A clawing fear slithered down his spine, causing the sharp pain to flare up again—he was getting old. Standing at the base of a winding mountainous path, Tyrash watched his companions nimbly climb the
The Far Side of the Table: In with the New and Out with the Old Read More »
The adventurers were in trouble, and Val knew it was his fault. Standing before a group of guards, Val, Tyrash, Azreal, and Strass watched as a portly shop owner squinted at each of them. As the merchant’s eyes fell on Val, the stolen bread in his sleeve seemed easily noticeable. Val closed his eyes as
The Far Side of the Table: Conflict and Villainy Read More »
Hoping to avoid Countess Farsight’s rage for having killed a duke during a party in her estate, the adventurers made their way north. Looking out across an icy, wind-swept tundra, the adventurers trudged wearily toward a solitary fortress on the horizon. The adventurers wondered about what kind of life would await them in this new
The Far Side of the Table: Non-Traditional Currency Read More »
Welcome to the table. Weeks of investigation led the adventurers to the Farsight Estate, where a gathering of nobles provides a perfect opportunity to identify who wants them dead. During this session, the players experienced a new design for social encounters—one that required them to roleplay as the nobles from whom they wanted information. Let’s
The Far Side of the Table: Player-Controlled NPCs Read More »
Welcome to the table. The other day, I had the opportunity to be a player at the table of a new GM. The game play was fun, and the story interesting, but most of all, I witnessed a decision I immediately planned to use in my own games. As the GM would hand out magic
The Far Side of the Table: What did you find? Read More »
Welcome to the table. Tonight, my players split up across the town, and unfortunately, each wound up involved in deadly assassination plots. For a GM, a session like this may sound like a nightmare—multiple simultaneous fights across a split party. Yet as the night developed, I discovered an effective way to get the players to
The Far Side of the Table: Who’s Telling the Story Here? Read More »
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