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Have You Got Ten Seconds?
🕑 Added 2020-12-14 10:18:00 +0000 UTCI’ve been thinking about how to make our dressing-style materials easier to use in game. I’m a huge fan of dressing-style resources (as you may have spotted) but sometimes it isn’t practical to have several such books open during a game. Obviously, you can use them before the game but sometimes—when you are GMing on the fly or the characters do something unexpected—you want something you can hide in the module or behind your screen.
While I haven’t yet totally worked out how to implement this, I’ve been playing around with the concept of ten-second material. By this, I mean the kind of material a harried GM could read and understand in ten seconds or under. (And as an aside, it’s an interest challenge to provide good, flavoursome and useful material in such small bundles).
I think this format could be applied to many things you might find useful. For example:
An NPC
Kauko Ilma (CN old male human) staggers about haranguing crows, stray cats and annoying children. Mad, and crippled in a carting accident, Kauko leans on an ornate carven walking stick. He thinks, the crows and the cats are out to get him. He's right.
A Shiny Treasure
Graven images of a man transforming into a werewolf decorate this silvered dagger. The weapon has a fist-shaped iron pommel and a short, tapered point. It comes in a forearm sheath of supple black leather set with a full moon image done in silver thread.
An Urban Locale
Kaleva’s Cuts hides a dark secret. Kaleva is a Braalite cultist and uses his butcher’s shop to dispose of his sacrifices’ remains. The shop backs onto a rowdy pub and the noise from its taproom masks any odd sounds coming from Kaleva’s workshop.
A Dungeon Locale
The Yellow King—a mushroom of disturbing size and fecundity— dominates this muddy, rubble-choked cavern. As tall as an ogre the yellow- and red-capped mushroom is a veritable giant. Air heavy with decay-stench issues from this dismal, dank place.
What Do You Think?
The idea of ten-second material is to provide inspiration you can use in-game to flesh out your session. Need an NPC? Need to describe a minor urban locale? Need a dungeon locale?
I’m toying with developing this idea into a series of one- or two-page themed micro-books in a similar vein to the old Monstrous Lair line.
What do you think? Would you find this useful in game? Please let me know, by voting in the poll (and leaving a comment, if you fancy it).
Comments
Frank Dellario
This is why you're the man (as we say in the states). That would be perfect because it then has two uses.
Raging Swan Press
So to paraphrase, you'd like more detail on (for example) the NPC or the location? Perhaps a staggered approach is called for. Do an initial 10-second style listing and provide more detail for GMs who want/need it or who want to make the subject more than a "casual" addition to their game?
I agree, I already have all sorts of lists. More than I can keep track of during a session. I have loved pretty much all the Raging Swan material, but I have a hard time seeing these 10 second descriptions being useful. I'm seeing too much detail to drop in a game without some backstory, and not enough detail to actually take work off the GM. If the town butcher has such a dark secret, there will be some secondary effects on the area, or else what does the secret even matter to the players or the town ?
MetalEd
These would be useful alongside the codexes you did a couple of earlier this year- more of those too please :)
Yes, indeed I did! https://thetrove.is/Books/Dungeons%20&%20Dragons%20[multi]/1st%20Edition%20%28ODD%2C%20D%26D%20Basic%2C%20AD%26D%29/%20D%26D%20Basic/Accessories/AC1%20-%20The%20Shady%20Dragon%20Inn.pdf
Raging Swan Press
Did you mean Shady Dragon Inn? (Having just done some searching)
Raging Swan Press
That's one book I've never managed to track down (The Sleepy Dragon Inn).
Raging Swan Press
I hadn't even thought of an NPC deck. Thank you, Marie!
Matthew J. Hunter
BRILLIANT!!! An NPC deck, a Locations deck, and maybe a Treasure deck? The cards might have the description at the top, and maybe some lines below for jotting down more about the subject on the fly... Just shuffle, and draw!!
Frank Dellario
I already have a lot of lists with short descriptions like this (eg D100 type lists). What I love about your work is that you're a bit more detailed. I use your work before the session mainly. But there are times when I need an npc, or a shop, or a small local description (outside of a building, a street, a path) quickly in game. I would use it in a heartbeat then. And thank you for asking how to help. This is why you rock sir.
This is good on the descriptions, but I would focus on the first things a PC would notice, sight, sound, possibly smell - so for NPC outfit worn, care of, fit, race if notable, color accoutrements, then possibly mannerisms if observed. Important to have some more of the background info, but only if PCs are interacting and possibly more noted about appearance or mannerisms with spot/knowledge combo checks. I loved the old Sleepy Dragon Inn stuff from 1e because I could describe an NPC and slowly reveal more detail over time depending on the interaction with them.
Marie Bayer
If the file could be formatted both as a list and as printable cards that would be even more useful since pulling a card from a deck is really fast and useful, imo.
Matt
One thing that would be helpful would be pronunciation guides for the Finnish (?) names. I like the format of this though.
I could use a sheet that has collected one or two examples of each of these--likely nouns to arise in a session.
Yep, just had a look at a few of the ML pdfs. Tables of evocative descriptions to help the DM's imagination are always welcome.
