Comments on: What Do You Do? http://dndnerd.com/what-do-you-do Ramblings of a Nerd who likes to play D&D Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:23:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Lance http://dndnerd.com/what-do-you-do/comment-page-1#comment-20890 Lance Sun, 29 Aug 2010 07:32:38 +0000 http://dndnerd.com/what-do-you-do#comment-20890 Ancient post, but I thought I'd reply. "What do you do?" can be great with experienced players, but can be pretty open-ended when you're dealing with complete noobs. From today's session, with a kid who had never played any pen-and-paper RPG before: ME: You're in what amounts to an adventurer's campground, about 5 miles south of the small market hamlet of Shalasvyr. It's dusk. Other parties of adventurers are making camp for the night, all slightly apart from each other. There are trees here and there, and on one tree about 100 feet from you, there appears to be something that is drawing attention. Adventurers wander up to the tree, alone or in groups of two or three, look at something on the trunk, perhaps discuss it, and walk away. What do you do? PLAYER: Um. I'm going to start hiking to [major city on overland map]. ME: Dude. Look at the map scale, that city is 300 miles away. It will take you weeks to get there on foot, and it's dusk now anyway. Meanwhile, more people are coming and going, looking at something on that tree over there. What do you do? PLAYER: I guess I go to sleep. ME: [suppressing a sigh] OK, you go to sleep. Do you sleep all night? PLAYER: Yes, sure. ME: OK, you wake up and most of the other adventurers have already broken camp. There are only a few people left in this area. You can see something that looks like parchment fluttering in a light breeze, tacked to the trunk of that tree everyone seemed curious about last night. What do you do? PLAYER: I pack up to leave. ME: OK, you're done. PLAYER: I'm going to head to [major city 300 miles away]. ME: Roll a d20. PLAYER: What am I rolling for? ME: An intelligence skill check. [rolls] Wow, you have this really strong desire to go look at whatever is stuck on the trunk of that tree. Ancient post, but I thought I’d reply. “What do you do?” can be great with experienced players, but can be pretty open-ended when you’re dealing with complete noobs. From today’s session, with a kid who had never played any pen-and-paper RPG before:

ME: You’re in what amounts to an adventurer’s campground, about 5 miles south of the small market hamlet of Shalasvyr. It’s dusk. Other parties of adventurers are making camp for the night, all slightly apart from each other. There are trees here and there, and on one tree about 100 feet from you, there appears to be something that is drawing attention. Adventurers wander up to the tree, alone or in groups of two or three, look at something on the trunk, perhaps discuss it, and walk away. What do you do?

PLAYER: Um. I’m going to start hiking to [major city on overland map].

ME: Dude. Look at the map scale, that city is 300 miles away. It will take you weeks to get there on foot, and it’s dusk now anyway. Meanwhile, more people are coming and going, looking at something on that tree over there. What do you do?

PLAYER: I guess I go to sleep.

ME: [suppressing a sigh] OK, you go to sleep. Do you sleep all night?

PLAYER: Yes, sure.

ME: OK, you wake up and most of the other adventurers have already broken camp. There are only a few people left in this area. You can see something that looks like parchment fluttering in a light breeze, tacked to the trunk of that tree everyone seemed curious about last night. What do you do?

PLAYER: I pack up to leave.

ME: OK, you’re done.

PLAYER: I’m going to head to [major city 300 miles away].

ME: Roll a d20.

PLAYER: What am I rolling for?

ME: An intelligence skill check. [rolls] Wow, you have this really strong desire to go look at whatever is stuck on the trunk of that tree.

]]> By: Yax http://dndnerd.com/what-do-you-do/comment-page-1#comment-3364 Yax Fri, 05 Oct 2007 04:09:51 +0000 http://dndnerd.com/what-do-you-do#comment-3364 I agree. It's also important to give the players information before asking the question. I agree. It’s also important to give the players information before asking the question.

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