I wrote these after a recent campaign I finished. They’re good rules, not all true, but everything here is useful.
2 players is ideal. 3 is an upward limit. It doesn’t matter the type of game you’re running. Things get confused beyond those limits. You can’t keep 4 players all involved in a tale for any length of time, with dynamic stories swirling around them all. 5 is nearly unthinkable!
Contrive your characters well. Always get the players together before the first session, discuss desires and dreams, and develop the characters to complete each other. Then, with this data, plot dynamics and developments early. Plotting the course doesn’t reduce the mystery of the journey, it just takes the onus of drama off of you and puts it on paper right away.
Fiction is the realm of Performance. Game is the realm of Choice! Decide first which activity you are interested in.
Give the players high quality, elegant character sheets with lots of room. Ensure it is well-designed for the type of game you are running.
Music and Notes on separate devices. Even still, look up. Don’t ever lose focus on the eyes of the players!
Communicate well-defined, clear constraints. The players must know what they are gambling at all times! Part of this is having a small set of rules, which need not be consulted or ruled upon. At most, each character should have three options in a scenario.
Be swift! Tease the pace along. Ask a lot of your players. Do not let up!
Brook no argument, foster no uncertain tone. Ensure we are here at the table for the same purpose.
Establish time outside of the game to talk with your players. It is simpler than you realize to be on the same page with everyone.
Know well the choice between the story telling game, the strategy game, the heist game, and the rest. Be clear, and if the center does not hold, be willing to follow it with precision.
Combat should last 10 minutes max. Don’t roll initiative. Go around the table, clockwise. Tell people to sit where they want to go during combat.
Only roll for things that have a chance of failure, chance of success, and some consequence of failure. Don’t let the players roll when the result would change their actions. Don’t let them roll to hide, notice something, etc. Passive Skills are more valuable than active skills.
Do not perform more than one experiment at a time.
Forget your plans. Do not try to perform. This is not a game for performance.
Put your faith in the players. Let their hearts be your guide.