Introducing a new character into a game is a gradual process. Whatever else might be going on, it's important to give some time for the new character to be fully integrated into the group and feel like they have a stake in the narrative.
We had a confluence of events this week where we reintroduced a character that had been missing for a couple of weeks and simultaneously introduced a new character. The result was that we had a very role-playing heavy session, which I was looking forward to and prepared for, to make sure the situation had some energy and depth.
We set a few plot opportunities up, including the necromancer/wizard trying to find a place to put his animated corpses. There was also an upcoming festival that celebrated the cleric's god (Pelor) and the end of the harvest season moving into fall. The result was a really laid-back session where everyone got better acquainted and built better connections with one another. I think it's a great place to be before the party descends into the Dwarven crypts.
I feel like we still touched on the '2 of the 3 pillars of D&D' (combat, exploration, role-playing) rule as well, because we had some exploration of a Dwarven tomb. This was something we had left off in during the last session and came back to in this session. It had a very circular feeling of closure on the issues and possibilities raised during the previous session.
Finally, this session reminded me that I only need 3-4 scenes per session, which is about 1 every 45 minutes. When I think 'scene' in this way, I'm really describing broad locations that might have many rooms or areas each. We had a Dwarven crypt scene, a town scene, then a Dwarven crypt scene. The town scene was actually broken into many little vignettes - bar scenes, temple scenes, going to the library, the Arcanum, seeing relatives and acquaintances. If it was a combat encounter, I would probably count a room as a scene, especially if I had to set out miniatures and maps.
It was a really fun session. My energy had been diminishing the last couple of sessions, based on personal issues of busy-ness and stress. This was a great recharge to the system that got me ready for many more awesome sessions with this crew.
We had a confluence of events this week where we reintroduced a character that had been missing for a couple of weeks and simultaneously introduced a new character. The result was that we had a very role-playing heavy session, which I was looking forward to and prepared for, to make sure the situation had some energy and depth.
We set a few plot opportunities up, including the necromancer/wizard trying to find a place to put his animated corpses. There was also an upcoming festival that celebrated the cleric's god (Pelor) and the end of the harvest season moving into fall. The result was a really laid-back session where everyone got better acquainted and built better connections with one another. I think it's a great place to be before the party descends into the Dwarven crypts.
I feel like we still touched on the '2 of the 3 pillars of D&D' (combat, exploration, role-playing) rule as well, because we had some exploration of a Dwarven tomb. This was something we had left off in during the last session and came back to in this session. It had a very circular feeling of closure on the issues and possibilities raised during the previous session.
Finally, this session reminded me that I only need 3-4 scenes per session, which is about 1 every 45 minutes. When I think 'scene' in this way, I'm really describing broad locations that might have many rooms or areas each. We had a Dwarven crypt scene, a town scene, then a Dwarven crypt scene. The town scene was actually broken into many little vignettes - bar scenes, temple scenes, going to the library, the Arcanum, seeing relatives and acquaintances. If it was a combat encounter, I would probably count a room as a scene, especially if I had to set out miniatures and maps.
It was a really fun session. My energy had been diminishing the last couple of sessions, based on personal issues of busy-ness and stress. This was a great recharge to the system that got me ready for many more awesome sessions with this crew.
Read this before watching the episode this time, but I'm looking forward to seeing how it all plays out. I'm glad this one left you feeling revitalized!
ReplyDeleteIt's also super great getting comments on the blog! I always perk up when I get a chance to discuss it with you! Thanks for taking a read; much appreciated!
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