Episode 12 - Upgrade Your Traps with these 7 key elements

02/14/20 • 31 min

It's a TRAP!

PART 1:

A free form discussion about using Traps as a Game Master and how we make them interesting and avoid some of the pitfalls that comes with them. This discussion is inspired by questions that was provided to us on twitter, and we answer in a free form, podcast style.

We touch on:

1) What to do if the party faces a dungeon full of traps, but does not have a thief-type character?

2) How to avoid the game from halting, because of the many rolls players ask to make when exploring areas with potential traps?

3) Should traps be just damage/no damage and what else can they be?

4) How to give purpose to your traps, so they don't feel pointless?

PART 2:

Are your traps boring? Want to do more with you traps in your next #DnD or #TTRPG session? In this episode, we give you 7 tips on how to make traps fun and meaningful in your game.

The 7 things to consider are:

1) Integration of traps with other elements

2) Why is the trap there? Give it purpose

3) Variability of skill and diversity of challenge

4) How was it built? Give it lore/history

5) Puzzly traps - Easy to find, but hard to deal with

6) Frontload information - Bringing tension to every check

7) Make traps more than straight up damage - Alarm, environment change, conditions and more....

Role Play Chat is a YouTube channel where your hosts Chris and Mat sit down and chat about Tabletop Role-Playing Games (such as #DungeonsandDragons, Fates, Warhammer or Call of Cthulhu) and other RPG related topics.

Enjoy!

Chris and Mat

Where to you find us?:

Youtube: Look for Role Play Chat

Twitter: @role_play_chat

Email: [email protected]

Podcast: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean or where ever you find your podcasts! ( https://anchor.fm/roleplaychat )

—————

Music: https://www.bensound.com

It's a TRAP!

PART 1:

We touch on:

1) What to do if the party faces a dungeon full of traps, but does not have a thief-type character?

2) How to avoid the game from halting, because of the many rolls players ask to make when exploring areas with potential traps?

3) Should traps be just damage/no damage and what else can they be?

4) How to give purpose to your traps, so they don't feel pointless?

PART 2:

Are your traps boring? Want to do more with you traps in your next #DnD or #TTRPG session? In this episode, we give you 7 tips on how to make traps fun and meaningful in your game.

The 7 things to consider are:

1) Integration of traps with other elements

2) Why is the trap there? Give it purpose

3) Variability of skill and diversity of challenge

4) How was it built? Give it lore/history

5) Puzzly traps - Easy to find, but hard to deal with

6) Frontload information - Bringing tension to every check

7) Make traps more than straight up damage - Alarm, environment change, conditions and more....

Enjoy!

Chris and Mat

Where to you find us?:

Youtube: Look for Role Play Chat

Twitter: @role_play_chat

Email: [email protected]

Podcast: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean or where ever you find your podcasts! ( https://anchor.fm/roleplaychat )

—————

Music: https://www.bensound.com

Previous Episode

Episode 11 - Puzzles & How We Make Them Interesting

A free form discussion about using Puzzles as a Game Master and how we make puzzles interesting and engage our players in the right way to ensure everyone at the table is given the opportunity to play with puzzles they way they want to. This discussion is inspired by a question that was provided to us on twitter, and we meander through our answer in a free form, podcast style.

We touch on:

1) Our level of interest using and playing with puzzles.

2) How we incorporate puzzles as Game Masters into our TTRPGs.

3) How we build puzzles into different pillars of the game to make them fun.

4) How we design puzzles in a forgiving way.

5) How we try to make them interesting.

Role Play Chat is a YouTube channel where your hosts Chris and Mat sit down and chat about Tabletop Role-Playing Games (such as Dungeons and Dragons, Fates, Warhammer or Call of Cthulhu) and other RPG related topics.

Enjoy! Chris and Mat

Where to you find us?:

Youtube: Look for Role Play Chat

Twitter: @role_play_chat

Email: [email protected]

Podcast: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean or where ever you find your podcasts! ( https://anchor.fm/roleplaychat )

—————

Music: https://www.bensound.com

Next Episode

Episode 13 - How To Elevate Ambiance In Your D&D Or TTRPG Game

Before you pull out the candles for your next #DnD game, listen in to our lessons learnt on how to elevate ambiance and tone at your table! Game Master's often shoot for a specific tone in their game, and a solid ambiance can go a long way to help support the tone and mood you are trying to establish. In this discussion we go over 6 lessons we've learnt the hard way so you don't have to! They will help you level up the ambiance by going above and beyond the usual elements, such as music and lighting.

We touch on:

Use of the voice.

Considering the space and seating.

Temperature Control.

Descriptive Wording.

Ensure Tone and Ambiance are working together.

Not forcing the tone.

Props, handouts and terrain.

Consider the season or IRL holidays.

Role Play Chat is a YouTube channel where your hosts Chris and Mat sit down and chat about #ttrpg (such as #DungeonsandDragons, Fates, Warhammer or Call of Cthulhu) and other RPG related topics.

Enjoy!

Chris and Mat

______

Where to you find us?:

Youtube: Look for Role Play Chat

Twitter: @role_play_chat

Email: [email protected]

Podcast: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean or where ever you find your podcasts! ( https://anchor.fm/roleplaychat )

______

Music: https://www.bensound.com