The Day 7 entry for the #RPGaDAY2023 challenge is “Smartest RPG you’ve played”. Um… I guess I’m not really understanding this one. All systems have different moving parts that work (or don’t) to a different level of degrees.
I think for this topic I’m going to go with a smart game master that I’ve seen running a game that I’ve been in. When I attended my first SaltCON this past March I participated in a Pathfinder 2nd Edition game. Not only was the scenario designed to introduce players to the system, it was also not overly-complicated so it could be ran in a quick time session at a convention. The game master, named Jared Walter, also explained the system to the players (who all had a different degree in RPG experience) and made use of different colored tokens to help keep track of initiative and combat. It was interesting to see how organized he was and it made me appreciate the session more.
On a side note, I also think it’s smart how SaltCON uses the Table Top Events website to help schedule games at the convention. The next SaltCON is coming up on the first part of September and I’ve already got my schedule selected (I had to go over all of the options to maximize my playing time while setting time aside for meals and breaks). I’ve been very impressed with this setup.
Has one of your game masters done something smart to make the game run smoother or more efficient? Tell me about it. This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.