YouTube video by Cleric Cabin Games

This is the start of a new series I've been toying around with, where I review a system mid flight as I'm either digesting it via reading or running a campaign. This review format is intended to be raw and rough, based on how I feel about a particular system today, knowing that my feelings about the system will probably be different in the future.

note: if you'd like to read this blog without the Wordpress ads, check it out on bearblog here The majority of tabletop RPG players I've talked to who used to play when they were kids refer to that time wistfully, with a twinkle of a tear in their eye. It's the tragedy of aging and moving through stages of life that when you're young, you have all the time in the world but as you age that time gets eaten up by other commitments and we have to face what is colloquially referred to as the Big Bad Evil Guy (BBEG) of Tabletop RPGs (TTRPGs): scheduling.

I once heard an adage regarding traditionally run tabletop RPG sessions with players and a GM, more specifically about how time at the table is split: 50% of time at the table is taken up by the GM talking, and the remaining 50% is split amongst the rest of the players. I find this painfully true at the table, and the problem only exacerbates when the GM needs to reference rules at the table, or go over the initiative again, or roll on random roll tables live during the session.

Traditional tabletop RPGs are a unique hobby in that they rely on a single source of truth who is also playing: the Game Master. Anything that isn't declared by the Game Master (or at the very least authorized) isn't confirmed as happening in the story. How best can a GM disseminate descriptions of exotic locations, intriguing characters, and riveting action sequences in an exhilirating and efficient manner?

Last Thursday, Matt Colville released a Youtube video through his channel called 'The Forever DM'. In this video, he made several points I very much agree with, though we came to them through different means. Before I go on, I want to share Matt's video because I think it's solid. I recommend giving it a watch if you're interested in the concept of the 'Forever DM':

In our hobby, the topic of metagaming is often brought up, which I've seen defined as a player using information their character wouldn't have to affect their character's in game decisions. For example, a fighter with extremely low Intelligence knowing quantum mechanics or a character who wasn't privy to a conversation another character had in private using that information to hurt the other party.