DM's Guide to Amazing Events

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You all meet in an inn...

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DM's Guide to Amazing Events

The Knights of Ashfall is a very event-driven guild. We are working together to build a new land and advance many different plots, and our preferred method to share them is through hosted events. We hold events for campaigns, and to help our individual squires and knights advance their own stories.

This being the case, we invite our members to take the initiative and invent, host, and command these events. Our vision is that every member will eventually be equipped to lead the way as we explore different facets of Warcraft lore, and create new and exciting scenarios and stories--able to come up with their own brilliant, epic tales and share them with each other.

So, with that in mind, if you have an idea for an event, a campaign, or a plot arc, please contact Jeremaias about how to make it happen! While we have several years' worth of content to enjoy, more is always better.

In the sections below, you'll find some materials to help our fledgling DMs succeed.

## General Principles

The Knights of Ashfall take a rather unique approach to RP. Not only do we want our members to have fun and feel like they are a part of a grand, legendary story, but we also want them to take good philosophy and principles back into the real world with them, to become better people as individuals.

That being true, helping to host events as a Dungeon Master (DM) means that you are helping your guildies to build a story together, guiding each other to improve both in-character and out, and having a great time while doing it!

### **Pitfalls**

One of the things a lot of people don’t realize about DMing is that it can be incredibly stressful. A good DM makes it look easy, and shields his players from a lot of the mechanics craziness going on in the background. Because of this, new DMs have no idea what to expect when they take the helm:

* *Trying to write an interactive short story.* You have to set the stage, speak for the NPCs, choreograph fights, and invent the plot--and all of this credibly.
* *Trying not to railroad your players.* It’s easy to tell people just to show up and roll, but that gets boring after a while, especially for those who want to act, not just be acted upon.
* *Trying to track outcomes and respond to them.* When you’ve got a dozen people rolling against different damage tables with different roll ranges and abilities, it can be hard to ensure that nobody is cheating the system or themselves.

### **Fear Not!**

Not only does DMing get easier with practice, but there are simple solutions, tricks, and resources you can use to help manage all of the input and attend to the petty details of mechanics. Don't get discouraged; if you are worried that you're doing a bad job, it means you care about doing a good job, and a good attitude like that is the most important thing you can bring to this.

## Mechanics

Think of event structure like a car engine. It seems like an amazingly complex thing--and it is, but in the end, a working car engine is made up of a series of simple machines. That simple principle is how you can isolate, diagnose, and repair problems, or build a better engine.

Any given event is made up of these fundamental parts:

* Players (who)
* Story (why)
* Objectives (what)
* Structure (how)
* Location (where)

### *Players*

The first item is, naturally, the players. Without them, there's literally no reason to have an event. Therefore, their enjoyment and satisfaction are paramount. That's the lens through which you view every facet of your event.

Fun then leads to engagement; people who are enjoying a thing will participate with greater enthusiasm. As you build your event, keep a sharp eye out for opportunities for that engagement, and for participation and interaction.

### *Story*

As a guild with a continuous story, one-offs are unusual, and non-canon events impossible. That means that events will ideally be part of the wider story, or at least in the spirit of it. This also gives the players a sense of continuity, and contribution. This means, to you, that you should build your events with an eye toward *why your party is doing this*.

The key to a good story is to make sure that you justify the things that happen. The situation should arise from somewhere, appear to be part of a chain of events that lead up to this incident. Give thought to how things have gone up to this point. Do some writing, some world-building, whatever helps you "visualize" the causes that lead to the current effect.

With this in mind, you'll be better able to come up with a set of...

### *Objectives*

If you don't know what your party is supposed to be doing, they sure won't, either. Nothing is more frustrating than entering battle or exploring a catacomb than having a DM who appears to be making it up as he goes. Some DMs are amazing at freehanding an event, but that's often a function of circumstances lining up, and even then, they've been building events for years using a much more methodical approach.

For players of a game, the objectives are the thing most will seek to accomplish, so view your event through that perspective. Have a clear set of tasks to complete, objects to collect, NPCs to interact with, or other milestones to achieve. You can even have a secondary set, or just some funny things you want to make happen, but the primary thing to do is *give your players something they can do--*even if they have to figure it out.

Those objectives will dictate your...

### *Structure*

This is the outline and set of tools you will be using to manifest the story and your party's decisions.

(WIP)

## Shortcuts to Awesomeness

Here are steps you can take to prevent some of those pressures from ruining your evening of awesomeness:

### *Script*

If there are bits of narrative, such as descriptions of locations or NPCs, or dialogue that wouldn’t be altered by player interaction, write those in advance and copy-paste them into your text box, or program them as macros. The less you have to compose on the spot, the more brainpower you can direct toward your players!

### *Assign Command*

Have someone else command the mission*.* Don’t try to be in charge both IC and OOC. In fact, letting someone else lead the group keeps you from accidentally railroading or sabotaging the group; a story with a more organic feel is always better than one that feels rigid and predetermined. It's easier to have a conversation than to write dialogue; the same is true of creating an authentic adventure.

### *Be Flexible*

Bend so you don’t break*.* Give your players opportunities for consequences--good and bad. Let them help shape the plot by their choices and words. Sometimes, a player may have an idea that takes the event in a new direction that turns out even better than you had originally planned. The person asking you a million questions and trying to find another option is often fully engaged and immersed in your story!

### *Simplify*

Edit yourself as you go*.* Your idea for an eight-hour protracted battle sounds amazingly epic on paper, but you may find that your players start checking out and getting bored. Don’t be afraid to cut out steps and even entire plot points if they are holding you and your guildies back from having a good experience. You can always recycle the things you don’t use into new events of their own, if they’re good ideas after all.

### *Organize*

Use systems that work for you to track information like target health, rounds of combat, and other data. Break complex mechanics out into simpler sets of functions. Let your players account for themselves. Ask other DMs about wheels, rather than trying to invent the wheels yourself.

## And Above All Else...

### *Be Yourself*

Just because Epicdm is Epic doesn’t mean you have to become Epicdm to be epic yourself. Over time, you’ll find your own groove, and develop a style that is comfortable for you. Don’t be afraid to borrow wheels from other DMs, but also remember not to treat them like sacred artifacts. Tinker, adjust, learn and grow, and do it in your own style.

### *Have Fun!*

It's a game. If you're not having fun, you're doing it wrong.