[OOC] Player's Coffee Room

[Ratpigeon]

...

Excited

[Code H]

Looks great already. Not that I expected any less.

[Vallesh]

Gah! I want Sunday to be here quicker so I can learn how I get eaten.

[Wynamoinen]

Man, you all are more impatient than me. And I literally check this site for new postings every half hour.

[GryffinSong]

LOL!!!

I just keep imagining how it might go, and how Trill might react to various things. I'm really excited about this game, and would probably be freaking out about wanting it to start sooner if I weren't running a game tomorrow at a physical tabletop. Preparing is a perfect distraction, especially since it's only my third time out as DM, and it's completely homebrew. I hope my guys like it. It's sometimes a bit intimidating creating a game for two entertainers (acrobat/comedians), a swordsmith, and a kid at a renaissance festival. But I don't feel any pressure or anything!!! LOL!!!

[Wynamoinen]

y'know it's interesting, I've also got a weekly tabletop game (well, roll20, but you get the idea - it's "live", not PBP). I've been GMing for a few years, and my worlds have always been homebrew. The prep is a TON of work (much more than it should be, but that's just my personality), but I always know my world inside and out, and I know what I find interesting and funny, and my players are game for lots of stuff. So I've never really been "nervous" in preparation.

Then we re-booted a game, and I'm using Out of the Abyss. It's the first pre-fab module I've ever used. And it's SO much less work. But since I haven't put in the legwork to make the world, and I know the content is not "my own", I feel much more nervous in anticipation of my recent games. It feels like more of a leap of faith to use the module than to use my own stuff, and I'm just not used to it.

[savoylen]

Good point... some 30 years latter, I've ended up using pre-fab material as 'boiler plates' - just scaffolding to help map out the largest strokes on 'the stage'. I think the trick to the long game is to feel free to make existing material (other peoples work, published work) your own.

[\unsolicited advice]

I love the Forgotten Realms because I saw it 'grow up', and my last RL 4e group (The Underground Fellowship) ran for 5 years - they all thought I was some FR 'savant' (their words, not mine )... though it be known, I did know the lay of the land very well, but the details were all vivid to me because I always tweaked or changed to the 'particulars' so they couldn't anticipate the outcomes by reading up on the cannon!

My advice is to keep the start up prep to a the vast minimum by feeling free to use quality published material as a backdrop (keeps you from having to make up everything) and to focus on the goals of the actual session - keep a good journal of what actually ends up happening at the table; the great games will create themselves!

Last tip is to be sure to enjoy watching your players, play. If they don't' have fun (even in character failures), you won't either.

[\unsolicited advice]

Good luck with those games, I'm sure you'll be AWESOME as always.

- Savoy

[GryffinSong]

This is a weird one, because we rotate DM duties in this group. The hard part about that is that I don't always know what the other guys have in mind, and I've not actually seen anyone's character sheet. We're also at level 10, which is not a level I'm used to, so they can pull all kinds of tricks that I won't see coming. The cool thing about it is that we're co-creating a world together, and pretty much anything goes. I've got a very vivid imagination, and last time out as DM with this group I loved it. We all laughed and had a wonderful time. My first time out as DM, by contrast, was a one shot from a module. That was several decades ago and I was a nervous wreck. I felt like I moved too fast, and worried too much. This time out, with these guys, I'm jotting a few notes of people and situations, but I'm more trusting that I've got the feel of the place, and can respond to whatever they do. I hope it goes well. I've got this feeling that I'm eventually going to LOVE being a fulltime DM, but I'm the sort of person who's always had to dip my toe into the water until I gain confidence before taking on something like this. I want to do it really well, and until I trust that I can, I hold off. The guys here at the ren faire at my guinea pigs as I gain the experience and confidence to do more DMing. I think I'm ready for them, but I'm sure they'll surprise me and I'll have to scramble to keep up!!!

[savoylen]

Nice, sounds like a great time. Go get 'em!

[savoylen]

O what the heck... lets go and open it up for introductory matters.

Act 1 Scene 1 is open for prequel posts.... no hurries, we're not having the "Grand Opening" until Sunday night still.

- Enjoy!!

[Wynamoinen]

I hope you meant "please post a wall of text" when you wrote "post your thoughts, memories...", Sav...

[GryffinSong]

So, what I hear you saying is that you're as anxious to start as the rest of us, eh? LOL!

[Wynamoinen]

I'm not anxious to start. I already started! You slouches best keep up, lol!

[Vallesh]

It's now going to take us even longer to post trying to keep up the the high bar set.

[GryffinSong]

LOL! Just read it, and will think about it, and write my intro post today sometime. Must take time to do this right.