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Kaun
2010-03-31, 04:23 PM
...Get your self's out of a block situation.

Basicly when you just cant seem to think up anything that you think is worth making into an adventure.

When all you have is small and fuzzy ideas which you can't seem to make much of no mater how hard your try.

What do you do?

What have you done to get the creative jucies flowing again?

arguskos
2010-03-31, 04:26 PM
Play with this thing for awhile. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/artifacts.htm#deckofManyThings) Alternatively, give it to your players, and let them fiddle around with it. It's like a plot hook generator that comes with the game! :smallamused:

Vaecae
2010-03-31, 04:55 PM
I have three methods to get around this kind of writer's block.

1: Break from DMing and be a PC for a little while.

2: Watch read or play a new game movie or book about the genre you're trying to create a story in. I don't mean rip something off, but they can be very inspiring, they might even show you something that would have never come to mind otherwise.

3: Completely scrap the project that's been flusterating you and build something new that may have less constraints or is otherwise different enough that you may just run with it freely.

I also have heard of another esspecially interesting couple of ways to make something. You have the players make parts of it. Either having them throw ideas at you individually where they don't know what the other's said, or have them sit down together and go other things they thing would be cool to do, then you pick and choose from what they suggest. There's nothing like turning a player's own designs against them, and it lets you get a feel for what they'd most enjoy while you're at it. You could also have them make some characters of x level/s that you then take the sheets for. Said characters then can become NPCs for one or more settings later on.

The last thing I might suggest is ask yourself why you're not liking what you have around already. I'm a very flexable DM according to my players, but lately I've played in a sandbox setting I've been working on for a long time. This sandbox has a complete storyline behind how the city it's based around came to be, and all the little areas and peoples around that a give group is likely to encounter so it gives me alot of room to breath and just give the players a random quest if I don't have a specific story to follow for the day.

I'd been really kinda flustered as a DM still I stated putting this sandbox together because I could never seem to make a campaign that anyone would actually play thru for me. This made me really not like trying to keep it together, but when you make the setting more flexible for the players it also frees you to just throw in what sounds good at the time. I don't need encounter tables for the most part because of the set-up I'm using. I hardly have my players ver off into something I don't know how to handle anymore, and I know the lay out of most places they may end up, and the ones I don't they can't get maps for so I can freely place down whatever I or they need.

It's taken I'd say at this point two years to get this setting where it's this smooth, but it's been very worth it. The best part is it all started with a small handful of character that my husband and I played. One day we just started musing over what they would do if they ever reached their peak in power, and from there came an entire town, followed by it's surroundings and inhabitants, and from there on it just evolved as we played with it more.

Don't pressure yourself the harder you try the worse the block will become. Find something that's interesting and run with it. I sometimes pull up shows from Discovery and will get great ideas for settings. I mean you could based one on almost anything from the tombs of ancient kings to the ice caps. Your players will have more fun in something you like DMing, so remember it's not just their fun you have to keep in mind it's your's.

One last thing is you could always take a kind of break by playing a spoof game. I mean a game based on literally anything. You could have your players try to discover the recipe for play-doh and have a hilarious time with it. As long as you and your players enjoy, anything goes.

Masaioh
2010-03-31, 05:41 PM
An hour of solitude does wonders for my imagination.

Kaun
2010-03-31, 05:44 PM
What they said.

I have tried some of that.

I think my problem is i usualy DM short campaigns, usualy 3 - 5 session each.

With my latest campaign my players begged for a long running one where they could start at level 1 and work there way to 30 (4e).

It has been going well over a year now and it seems to be that the drive for me died some what after the Heroic teir story came to a climax about 9 sessions ago.

I dont want to take a brake from DMing because i set myself a goal and i would like to see it through.

P.S. The Card deck does look like an interesting thing to drop into the mix.

TripperdeCleric
2010-03-31, 05:46 PM
I let the players run things for a while...let them move around and explore a city and just throw stuff at them...

another idea is that you can simply read up on other things..dont rip them off...but take ideas from it.

Also make your game every other week and pc on alternate weeks.

EvilBloodGnome
2010-03-31, 05:50 PM
If you wanna DM but can't write your own, well, they print adventures for a reason.

It's what I do simply out of laziness. Then again, I have no real love of DMing

Muz
2010-03-31, 05:53 PM
Mining old video game plots that my players haven't played has worked for me. Don't lift them whole, but grab what you need and adapt them to your setting and players. It gives a guide and a place to build your ideas from.

Of course, you have to have played such games, so this may not be too helpful. I've mined a lot of the Quest for Glory series, myself. :smallsmile:

Also, do not underestimate the power of sipping a mocha and spacing out in a cafe. Works wonders sometimes. :smallbiggrin:

Oslecamo
2010-03-31, 05:55 PM
Go to this very forum and blatantly steal cool ideas from other people's campaigns they post here.
....

Why you looking at me like that?

Also, +1 to gaming/reading.

If you have loose ideas, siting down for an hour with a pencil and sheet of paper and connecting them all can do wonders as well.

Finally, carefully listen to the players discussions among themselves and make their wishes come true. They joke/suspect it's an half dragon kobold beguiller behind that random kobold raid you threw at them? Well, do design a half dragon kobold beguiller and go to town!

Megaduck
2010-03-31, 05:57 PM
Talk with your players, or just listen to them stratagize. When you hear something you like you can incorporate it into your campaign.

Ask yourself what the PC/NPCs want. If you figure out what motivates people you can often figure out what they'd do next.

Take a long walk in the woods. I find letting my mind wander while moving and thinking about something helps with my creativity. Gets the blood flowing I guess.

jiriku
2010-03-31, 06:12 PM
Blatant theft is usually my solution. Books, video games, movies, manga, cartoons, TV shows, you'd be amazed what you can steal. One of my friends ran a game which basically consisted of the entire plot of the 90's television series Twin Peaks, transplanted into the Rokugan setting. It was an amazingly good game. We never noticed the source until the game master brought the climactic episode for us to watch after the conclusion of the campaign and we realized we'd all been hoodwinked.

Muz
2010-03-31, 06:18 PM
Blatant theft is usually my solution. Books, video games, movies, manga, cartoons, TV shows, you'd be amazed what you can steal. One of my friends ran a game which basically consisted of the entire plot of the 90's television series Twin Peaks, transplanted into the Rokugan setting. It was an amazingly good game. We never noticed the source until the game master brought the climactic episode for us to watch after the conclusion of the campaign and we realized we'd all been hoodwinked.

AWESOME... But how in the HECK did you manage to get a game out of the Black Lodge? :smallbiggrin:

Vaecae
2010-03-31, 06:19 PM
With my latest campaign my players begged for a long running one where they could start at level 1 and work there way to 30 (4e).

It has been going well over a year now and it seems to be that the drive for me died some what after the Heroic teir story came to a climax about 9 sessions ago.

(I haven't touched 4e cept for reading some in the PH.)

A few questions:

What level are they now?

What is the main plot, if there is one?

What are their character motivations?

How fast has the group been progressing armor level and storywise?

Edit: Even if you don't want to be a PC with someone else DMing you could try adding a DM character in who is on par with everyone else. This gives you a solid investment in the party again because this is your character, and as long as you don't take special privledges with it then they should have no problems with a tag along. It could be a good experience for everyone.

Zaq
2010-03-31, 06:46 PM
Run a sandbox session or two. Basically, don't come up with anything specific plotwise. Just drop the PCs off in an interesting area and let them poke around. See what interests them. Then, when they start acting interested in something, take that home and flesh it out.

For example, have them land on an island that's a big crossroads/supply station for several major trade routes. Roughly sketch out some very general things, but don't agonize over too much. Then see what they do. Do they dive straight into the seediest wharf bars to rub elbows with some of the grittier types? Have them attract the attention (positive or negative) of a mob boss in the area, or hear some rumors about a certain part of town. Do they pay a lot of attention to the ships streaming in and out? Have one of them have some strange and adventureworthy cargo (smugglers, perhaps?), or give the PCs a reason to accompany one of these ships as they leave port. Do they stick around the major bazaars? If they're not careful, they might end up the targets of some well-organized thieves who are accustomed to adventurers coming through... or they might get dragged into two moguls engaged in a bidding war or price war, or bump into an incognito noble who could use the help of some unfamiliar folks, maybe as bodyguards or maybe to do some dirty work.

The key, though, is that you didn't really plan much of this out ahead of time. You set up some basic areas of the city and maybe a name or two, you set the PCs loose to play, and you ad-lib with whatever the come up with. Once they dig up something that could end up as a plot hook, then you flesh it out. You figure out who this mob boss is and what he's after. You figure out where these smugglers are coming from and why they can't trade their goods openly. You craft the relationships between the nobles of the city and figure out why they're running around incognito. Once the PCs pay attention to it, you know that it's worth making interesting, so you develop it into a bigger plot.

The thing is that you can have a sandbox session or two without actually going full-on sandbox. Once the PCs discover something they find interesting, then you can sweep them away into whatever level of grand narrative your group thrives on. But this way, you're not trying to figure out where to start; they do that for you. Once they get the ball rolling, you can introduce new twists and new elements as you see fit, but you're spared the hard part of figuring out what they would find interesting in the first place.

You can tell your PCs that you're doing this, or you can kind of do it on the sly. That very much depends on your group. But I find that letting the PCs make their own plot hooks, which you then turn into proper plots, is a good way of sharing some of the work, openly or surreptitiously.

(A disclaimer: if you have a very combat-focused game like D&D, it pays to either indicate to your players ahead of time that this will be a less combat-oriented session... or you should have at least a few basic NPCs ready to roll initiative. Ad-libbing plots is relatively easy, but ad-libbing NPC combat stats usually leads to trouble, even if it's just the city guard or a gang of thugs.)

Vaecae
2010-03-31, 07:01 PM
There is one thing to be leery of in doing a sandbox. I ran into this repeatedly with a group I DMed for about half a year before we took an unexpected break. You might end up having your group take the first opening/plot hook and try to pursue it to the end without looking for much else. To avoid this make them split up somehow and make sure there's a few options that they need to choose from. This way you don't get forced into coming up with something too detailed without warning. If they have choices to make they're less likely to go head long into the first couple of things they see.

Grimtina
2010-03-31, 07:16 PM
...Get your self's out of a block situation.

Basicly when you just cant seem to think up anything that you think is worth making into an adventure.


Find someone to do a Raise Dead on me...

I never had this problem. I get writer's block only with novels I attempt.

OK, that wasn't helpful lol Taking a break is probably a good idea though.

Kaun
2010-03-31, 08:01 PM
(I haven't touched 4e cept for reading some in the PH.)

A few questions:

What level are they now?

What is the main plot, if there is one?

What are their character motivations?

How fast has the group been progressing armor level and storywise?


They are all about level 12 - 13 now.

They are currently chasing down a rogue Wizard from one of the party members Academy on a recently redescovered island empire that fell into ruin 200+ years back.

As to motivations well thats a bit all over the place and could probably take up another 3 posts in itself.

As for DMPC's i generaly dislike running them. I am fine with tag along NPC for a session or two and re apearing NPC's but a constant DMPC is not a thing i enjoy.

As to the whole sandbox idea i have been considering something anlong those lines when they hit a new city they will end up in sooner or later.

Vaecae
2010-03-31, 08:11 PM
They are all about level 12 - 13 now.

They are currently chasing down a rogue Wizard from one of the party members Academy on a recently redescovered island empire that fell into ruin 200+ years back.

Sounds like a nice set up for some very old (as in age) enemies to show up. Liches Vampires Dragons Fey ect... It could also be a great time for misdirection. If you want to give yourself some time to get something ready go this is a nice point to pick up some pieces of premade dungeons. Send them on a wild goose chase while the Wizard gets prepared to take them on.

They could also go into a plot about why it had to be rediscovered and how that came about. Possibly throw some lines at them from a game you never got to play at some point in the past. If it's a fallen empire there's probly all sorts of things at hand to distract them. Also any rumors of ancient or lost magic in a place like that would attract the wizard so sending them out on such a rumor wouldn't depart too much from the story/set-up.

I can understand not wanting to run a Dmpc, just an idea though.

Dust
2010-03-31, 08:15 PM
I post questions here.

The last time I did so, the party ended up in a rock-off against a mad scientist who had stolen a PC's identity and was using his two mechanical arms to each play a guitar, and summoned zombie minion backup dancers.

No, I don't know how that came about. No, I don't care at all.

AslanCross
2010-03-31, 09:24 PM
I go take a walk, do some reading, or play another game. It's typical for me as a writer to hit writer's block, so the block-breaking habits I have work for DMing as well.

Zovc
2010-03-31, 09:34 PM
3: Completely scrap the project that's been flusterating you and build something new that may have less constraints or is otherwise different enough that you may just run with it freely.

I wouldn't go so far as to say "completely scrap the project." That could be throwing away a lot of work. Just 'put it away' until something else reminds you of it, because it will likely be something inspiring.

Starting on a new project is a good idea, though, it may end up being a lot of things you can merge with your old idea, or the new direction might just "fill itself" out easier.

Vaecae
2010-03-31, 09:43 PM
I wouldn't go so far as to say "completely scrap the project." That could be throwing away a lot of work. Just 'put it away' until something else reminds you of it, because it will likely be something inspiring.

True, but sometimes if you have a personal dislike to something just remembering could be a bad thing. Depends on just how bad you think it is personally I suppose. It's good to keep a few back ups or partial plans around for when you need something fast so just setting something aside is a good option as long as you think it might come in handy someday.

Kaun
2010-04-01, 01:23 AM
I am thinking that maybe letting the PC's heavly push the direction for a while and not have an over bearing story may be a good idea.

But like sombody already mentioned my PC's tend to find the first hook and focus on it.

The Nemo
2010-04-01, 02:34 AM
http://andrewbosley.com/the-brainstormer.html

Best. DM. Tool. Ever.

I use this thing all the damn time. I pretty much write out a long term story that I would like the characters to 'get around to' at some point, and then spin this thing a few dozen times and see what adventure ideas I come up with. I usually get one solid, basic idea per minute of spinning.

Love it.

absolmorph
2010-04-01, 02:40 AM
I post questions here.

The last time I did so, the party ended up in a rock-off against a mad scientist who had stolen a PC's identity and was using his two mechanical arms to each play a guitar, and summoned zombie minion backup dancers.

No, I don't know how that came about. No, I don't care at all.
I need to start asking for advice here :smalleek:

Togo
2010-04-01, 07:47 AM
Go to second hand bookshop.

Pick out two or three books that are bad. I'm not just talking about things you'd think twice about spending money on, but really the worst looking books you can find. Obscure 1970 sf and highly derivatives fantasy works well for me, but I've also found victorian ghost stories, poorly retold legends, and anything from central Europe to work well.

Read the books as far as you can bear. Any decent adventure ideas, scenes, or other weirdness are yours to keep and use.

Don't try this with good books, since your players may read them, or read something loosely based on them.

Farlion
2010-04-01, 08:00 AM
Believe it or not, I've gotten some really cool ideas from music.

For example: Ghost Rider in the Sky --> BBEG riding a nightmare ;-)

Another example?

Amon Amarth, Arson: Cool start for one of my campaigns.

Alot of the vikingmetal, epic metal songs tell stories which can be used very well for some ideas.

Cheers,
Farlion

Dust
2010-04-01, 08:01 AM
http://andrewbosley.com/the-brainstormer.html

Best. DM. Tool. Ever.
I started fiddling with it and wasn't impressed at first. New Kinsmen Amish Submarine. Concession corporate atoll. Sacrifice For Love Mexican Sculptor's Studio.

And then it happened.

Daring Enterprise. Theft. Viking Casino.


Viking. Casino.



Ohhellsyes.

Farlion
2010-04-01, 08:05 AM
.


Viking. Casino.




Add some Ninjas for flavor?

And have the casino be robbed by PIRATES! :smallbiggrin:

Everything is better with pirates! :smallcool:

Cheers,
Farlion

bosssmiley
2010-04-01, 08:22 AM
...Get your self's out of a block situation.

Basically when you just cant seem to think up anything that you think is worth making into an adventure. When all you have is small and fuzzy ideas which you can't seem to make much of no mater how hard your try. What do you do?

What have you done to get the creative jucies flowing again?

Random tables (http://jrients.blogspot.com/2010/03/random-wilderness-specials.html) and more random tables (http://fightingfantasist.blogspot.com/2010/02/hypogeum-dungeon-dressing-tables.html). Because adding something you never intentionally would (and then rationalising the oddness) can knock you out of a creative rut.

valadil
2010-04-01, 08:41 AM
I have three tricks for writers block. Take a walk. Take a shower. Take a poop. Not all at the same time mind you.

I think these things work for me because they're when I have little to no stimulus coming in. Listening to my iPod while walking totally blocks all the creative ideas I usually get. Just do something mindless with no input for 30 min or so and you'll get ideas.

I also have a couple alternative sources for ideas if nothing I come up with is working out.

Other than that I store every idea I get. Even when I'm not GMing I'm writing down ideas for dungeons, NPCs, and plots. If I get stuck later I look at these notes and find an awesome idea that I had a year ago.

Finally, I also take a look through my PCs' backstories. These are filled with ideas I don't have to come up with. Best of all, if you take a plot that a PC made and put it in front of the group, that PC is already hooked. You don't have to entice him with it. You still have to hook the rest of them, but having one player who is automatically enthusiastic for a session will make it go so much better.

Iban
2010-04-01, 09:49 AM
Like most people here I have a few methods:

1) Relax (more than usual lol), this clears my mind so I can let it wander and, in some ways, dream.
2) Read a book, watch a film etc... for inspiration.
3) Think of a random person you saw the other day (maybe spoke to) and turn them into a BBEG. Give them something nasty that they want to do. Shove the PCs in a tavern/pub/whatever (cliché lol). Give them a little info on the BBEG (maybe via a flyer, town spokes-person thing etc...). See what the PCs do. AKA, run a sandbox and simply plan for the next session as it comes. (This does however mean you have to be a fast thinker to come up with reasonable things while at the table, but this can also be the most rewarding for the players)

Fallbot
2010-04-01, 11:59 AM
Go to the gym. Or for a run if you don't have a membership. I always find exercise helps me think and, even if it doesn't, burning off some extra calories is never a bad thing.

Mauther
2010-04-01, 12:35 PM
2 tricks I’ve used to generate intermediate plots (not the 20 level campaign, but to keep players entertained for 2 or 3 weeks while I look for other inspiration. To generate random plotlines, some times I’ll just randomly grab a dvd off the shelf or off of movie listings. I don’t use the movie plot, I just take the movie title and try to generate a short mission on that premise. Example: I had a Shadowrun mission: a corporate kidnapping/prototype sabotage between rival toy companies, taken from “Toy Story”. Just like with the random generators, it’s the intellectual exercise of tying 2 or more completely different things together that gets the juices flowing.

Another option that I use: I target the PCs. As a general rule, I consider it bad form to specifically go after the PCs, but every now and then I like to challenge myself by creating plots and NPCs specifically gunning for one or more PCs. But once they are at a decent level, maybe an old villain comes for some payback, or maybe an ally of a villain. I reached dead zone in a campaign around level 10 or so, couldn’t figure out what to do from there. So I gave them some cookie cutter mission (explore the abandoned mine, guard the caravan, etc) but threw in some real challenging assassination attempts. Not just the generic assassin with a dagger, but a hidden summoner who would flood the area with summoned creatures, a gentlemanly sand giant duelist, stuff like that. Encounters that were fun for me to design, without having to try too hard to shoe horn them into the overall plotline.

Kaun
2010-04-01, 09:12 PM
He he Walking, pooping , showering and the gym are some of my usual fav ways of getting past a block!

And speaking of viking casinos the party did stumble into an iligal casino set up in a Dwarven fish market front when hunting down a magical key in gloomwrought.

It ended up in a fairly epic three way battle between the unraged Dwarfen under boss and his goons, the players and a blood thirsty unit of inter planar merc's.

ScionoftheVoid
2010-04-01, 09:27 PM
I tend to have to wait and something will eventually come to me. Reading (particularly on forums and other writing involving other people with constant updates) usually gets me to an idea quickest, for example I recently managed to detail a reasonable amount of a setting in one go on the "How Magical Do You Like Your Worlds?" thread (previous to that I had a Tippyverse-esque setting, possibly with a bit of steampunk stuff with one known NPC. My ideas available to draw on for the campaign-to-be increased by several orders of magnitude). So reading or something that you enjoy that is relaxing and just waiting for it to pass is my suggestion, though I have no set time limit in how long I can wait so that may not be the best solution for other people.