by Againsto

Big question, I say, having run and running numerous games on here.
PbF, if it works well, is a thing of beauty; I have some old games archived here that I come to re-read every couple of years, and always, there was a DM doing something right.
So, best practices:
- as a DM, try to have fun yourself; do everything you must to stay invested
- don't set your targets too high
- be transparent and communicate, communicate, communicate.
- use the tools of the site as much as necessary and as little as possible (only roll when needed, for example)
And the rest is personal preference. And, sad to say, experience.

by Againsto

"Well, here I am", as the great Jubal Early said. I think. Didn't The Expanse have a scene like that as well, somebody drifting in a spacesuit until rescued?

In a way, there is no fantasy equivalent: to state there is a deadly environment that cannot be manipulated, bargained with, escaped from or fought is not genre-appropriate. Save vs death every round until you die? Bad scenario design.
I think it IS appropriate for SciFi with its reliance on tech; there is death all around you on a spaceship (or a glass dome on the moon), wherever you go, and you need to understand and maintain your tools, take material and technology very seriously and act quickly in case of malfunctions and breaches. So, hard vaccuum is a consequence, and what is SciFi if not a genre about consequence, as opposed to Fantasy?
Thank you for coming to my TED-X talk.

by dragontrainer

Banned for sleeping on the roof.

by coil23

An item RPG Item: B1: In Search of the Unknown has been added to the geeklist Geeklist Red Ridge Table 2025

by Vospire

Banned for opposing me, the Tavern supports me.

by SeaofStars

Keeping people enganged and the game moving forward is the greatest challenge, especially if you have a set up which requires a certain amount of characters or character abilities to keep the story moving. As noted, player attrition is a thing and while some groups are lucky and keep all of their players, this is rare, and a plan should be in place for dealing with it should it happen.

There certainly are best practices, constant communication through OOC, having people thumb posts so you know they are reading what is happening, and so on. Sadly, I have no magical answers, it is fun but challenging and my success has been mixed.

by Whymme

If a character in the group is a specialised archer, I'd say that it would make sense to allow the character to do trick shots. He should be able to shoot through a keyhole, or to cut rope with special arrows. Such actions confirm the characters specialism, in a way that's more fun than just giving an X bonus.
I don't know if you need to do that mechanically, with special feats or skills or such. Games like Feng Shui and D&D (some editions) are built on those things, and it would be up to the player to build a character with the required feats. But my experience is that players then tend to check their list of feats to see what they can do, instead of imagining what the character can do, regardless of how it is described in specific feats.
In less feat-rich systems (and actually, in feat-rich systems as well), the GM could just assume that the character is a specialised archer, and affirm that role by allowing him to try those trick shots, while denying them to non-specialised characters in the group.

by garrylloyd

Related Item: Govmiller's Dice Game List

Eric, I've got and played Laser Sisters before (back in Dicember 2021). Should I play the same again or opt for a different version this year?

by SeaofStars

As a general rule when I am CHing this is not too much of a problem. Non-combat scenes tend to be more fluid and it is just a matter of making sure everyone gets a chance to contribute (if they want to).

When playing, sometime other GM just want to get on with it and rush some scene so they can get to what (they think) is important. That can get tiresome.

by govmiller

An item GeekList: Govmiller's Dice Game List has been added to the geeklist 2025 Dicember challenge

by Ugavine

I guess trick shots could be handled in the FFG Genesys system with spending Advantage, though nothing we've done regularly. In D20 on the roll of a 20 I will ask the player to add some flair to their shot, eg. Arrow hits the orc right between the eyes.

by killerkatanas

<div>Battletech scenario 2</div>