Rad

Featured Prompts

How Rad runs games

In a word Fluid. I’ve run so many different styles of games in so many different ways, hybridized, mixed and matched every conceivable genre and style that half the time I don’t know what devil’s brew I’m cooking up. It’s almost always dependent on the players, adapting to either how I perceive their wishes or in response to questions I’ve asked. A second word might be Open. Though I have learned the weakness of a truly open play style I still frequently will toss the ball into the players court and run with their plans. While I won’t avoid a railroad if story or game would benefit from it, I tend to avoid it and seldom find it necessary. On the other hand, I’ve learned that some people work best within a structured framework and a directed set of goal. In those cases, I have found success in providing just enough of a framework for them to work with and then leaving the rest of the world open. For me if the players choose to take the left turn to Albuquerque, well then give me minute to look things up on google and then let’s see what I can come up with in Albuquerque. A third could be Adaptable. I don’t totally ascribe to the “yes and approach” as that relies as much on the player’s ability as the GMs, but I find there is a lot of room between a No and a Yes. One of my greatest joys in GMing a game is reacting off of the players, and adapting the narrative to whatever zaniness they unleash. Perhaps a final word would be Cinematic. Or perhaps… over the top. When I run a grounded serious game, I am always fighting my urge to go big, go wild, go cinematic. I mean I can be subtle; I frequently (and accidentally) can do creeping dread… but I mean eventually nuking the site from orbit is really the only way to be sure. (Preferably while dueling the villain over an improbably deep chasm, inexplicably filled with arcs of lightening as explosions rock the surrounding scenery)

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