How I have been week-to-week running a library game

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 I have been running a public library game of Nightwick Abbey, this summer, and it's been a lot of fun. I'm going to tell you how to make your public library game a success! If you want more details about my game in particular, check out the campaign wiki for it.

 The Dungeon

First off, choose a megadungeon. I've been using a prewritten one, which is mostly a great help. Check what system it requires, note any conversion that has to be done, and take stock of all the materials included (map, bestiary, lore bits, etc.). I recommend taking room descriptions and somehow getting them into an editable format (not pdf). This will ease the restocking process. I have been writing down in a notebook all room restocks, and have risked losing track of room contents several times. This is annoying. Don't do this. Take the time to copy everything out of the pdf.

 

Megadungeon creators! I would love plaintext versions of all your documents for the above reason. I don't care how nice the document looks.

 

If you want to make your own megadungeon, I have advice for that too. I ran a 3-month dungeon game that was a donjon map and random OD&D room stocking. It worked really well! It can be that simple. Or you can do something more elaborate.

The Player & their Characters

I strongly recommend a simple system that allows for quick character creation & loot-based XP. Quick character creation allows new players to get into play really quickly. If they sit down with a 16 STR character sword, they already have an idea of how to play that character: front-liner. 

I don't want a more complicated system because I don't believe in homework. If a player wants to show up to the session unprepared and empty-handed, you should prepare for that. Player attendance is the lifeblood of this game, and the easier it is to have players enjoy a session, the longer your game will last.

Don't make the mistake of giving yourself more homework instead; instead, offload player-side components that create homework. There is no law of conservation of homework.

Loot-based XP is also great because it creates an easily recognizable reward. Milestone and narrative-based XP is fickle beast, being given out in a game where it's either not clear if a milestone is there, or being expected based on effort when it actually wasn't planned. Loot-based XP obviates both problems: party gets XP if and only if there is treasure involved. There is no ambiguity of how or when xp is given out.

Inspiration is also a bugbear of mine. It can create the illusion of favoritism and a spotlight effect. Splitting XP among all players present creates a feeling of group effort, and that everyone can benefit, even if there is a star. I have seen the camaraderie at the table, it works!

Prepping a Session

It's not too hard. Have the random encounter table ready, have the map in a 5-room radius ready as well. Stock the rooms that have been cleared. Other than that, get ready to roll!

 Game Organization

You'll have to figure out for your system a loose procedure and elements of the game. In my game the session procedure is, roughly:

  • Check upkeep cost
  • Downtime Activities
  • Hireling upkeep & employment 
  • Mages choose spells
  • Establish marching order & light bearer
  • Main delve
  • If treasure recovered, tally XP & GP 

Note that my sessions' gameplay ends with the party exiting the dungeon for any reason. I like to make the party commit to a course of action!

You may wish to exclude some of the above/include others/mix up what goes into an element (e.g. downtime actions)

 Keeping the Game Alive

The one person who must be at every session is the Referee. Therefore, choose a time and day you can attend the most. Players are interchangeable, and if you are recruiting far and wide, you can find a sufficient number of players. But if you aren't there, the game cannot run. And the more sessions you offer, the more game there is. You have to balance a little bit (Mondays at midnight I could wake up for, but no one else will), but choosing the best time for you of reasonable times keeps the games going.

 I am a big fan of open-table games; i.e., games with no dedicated player group. I like having strangers at my table, and you should too!  It keeps the mix of ideas fresh. Having a dedicated group means you might stop play for a missing players (which means less gaming), or someone might feel left out if they can't make a session (which makes the game organization not help everyone have fun). 

The more loose your player-base, the more players and gaming you will have. This also means you have to advertise for your game, probably. Word of mouth can probably only get you so far. I joined a local board game group Discord server to recruit. It worked well, and I have gotten great players from this method. You can try Facebook groups, Meetup, or going in person to board game shops and putting up flyers (with management's permission, of course). 

Why?

Why run a library game? For more DnD, of course! I have played more DnD and had the most fun this summer in my DnD campaigns than maybe ever before. I think it's a great way to meet new people and get our of your shell, gaming wise. I think I have learned a lot since I've had to be accountable to a group of strangers, and actually commit to serving interesting and challenging content. It's honestly just been so much fun. I think every GM should give it a go. 

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