Keith Ammann's "How to Defend Your Lair."
Before I decided, though, I dug around for some reviews. I mean, I love his work, but I don't GM D&D5e so it's the systemless aspects I most care about. And it's not necessarily the positive reviews that help the most.
This review mostly explains why the book isn't good for the reviewer. Since the writer's play style sounds like very much the opposite of how I GM, I think this helps sell it to me. Especially this:
I continuously ratchet difficulty levels up and down for my players because I do not think TPKs are fun and I also want them to each get their shots in before downing the bad guys. I like for my players to feel involved in combats, and to experience the terror of thinking they’re going to die (but not actually killing them.) As a GM, I feel that my job is to challenge the players but not frustrate them.
And as much as I’ve loved the hundreds of players I’ve run games for over the years, I can confidently state that most of them don’t play D&D, or any other role-playing games, in order to think. They’re there for the action, and they’re there for the drama. The fun ones are also there for the lolz. My job as the DM is to facilitate all this, to make my players feel smart and capable and like big damn heroes. I have thrown away so many puzzles and lowered the success rates of so many secrets just to make sure my tables have a good time getting through carefully constructed adventures, whether my own or others’ (I’m a big fan of running from pre-written modules.)
So, that's exactly not me in a nutshell. It's quite possible that the last thing my players want to do at the table is think. But I run games that reward thinking and the odd bit of bold action. I don't run games that reward drama. I don't change puzzle difficulty even if people spend boring hours on a Sunday throwing keys at a door to try and open it.*
Finally, I found this podcast with the author, which finished my decision in favor of buying it.
It's on its way, and I'm sure my players aren't even slightly happy that my defended lairs will be even better designed and even more logically constructed.
* It's still not a puzzle. And they're still going to be mad at me when they figure it out. Hopefully that's during an online session because they outnumber me a lot.
Most def review this once you've read it, sounds like it would perfectly fit my needs as well. We 'run' in a very similar style despite you preferring (at least currently) megadungeons and my "hating" them.
ReplyDelete((I'll play in one, but not run them, too much prep work for my taste. But your //style// of play, eg: let the dice fall where they may, challenge without coddling, reward critical and outside-the-box thinking, team-work, etc; we're very much on the samish page.))
Also, looks like the gerblins from the book cover stole a 'u' from your blog title. ;)