I don't remember this at all LOL

the players like it more so they ceep it around

It’s amazing that you can broadcast your opinions to the entire world from your parents basement. Shave your neck beard and do a push up once in a while. Sheesh

I like to do a 50/50 approach. Some clues they will auto find but only after like.. 3 searches, others that are very specific information or doesnt keep them from progressing ill hide better. I think its one thing to let players go through areas and stories without being stuck for 7 years and them going through with or without additional, revelevant info. Like: How to escape room -> give clue regardless, just draw it out Secret treasure clue in same room -> specific rolls Or Trying to learn about an enemy -> generic clues to allow the players to continue Unique weaknesses and strengths -> longer search and more successes You should never limit a player'a ability to progress. But making the act of searching give benefits will encourage them to look. At least it has worked well for my party.

Agreed. Elaborate on tip 2, character backstories, tell the players they are required to make characters with a goal.

Read 1,000 stories or read 1 book about how to write stories?

The romance episodes were always a drag

If i play with a dm like that, i will start just saying, "i roll investigate " instead of actually RPing the search, because it doesn't matter anymore. Or I'll start saying stupid things, like i search that corpse for clues, but only in its anal cavaty, or i search the room for clues, by standing still on the center of the room staring at the ceiling with my hands in my pockets... do i find anything? Think about what makes sense, put your clues in places that make sense and don't treat your players like children. It's kinda obvious.

There is an RPG called "Bubble Gumshoe" where they make the same point that you do that mysteries with clues should always be able to be found otherwise things would grind to a halt. The solution used by Bubble Gumshoe is that failed roles cost a resource not that the clue isn't given. So in D&D maybe failed roles cause exhaustion, gold, HP, or some other resource (depending on circumstance).

Some interesting might-have-beens from those early plot ideas!

What are some books you recommend reading that have helped your description/stories your games? For example, several KZfaqrs have recommended R. A. Salvatore for describing fight scenes.

I only saw TNG as an adult but I never hated Wesley. I think the hate for him is really overblown and I actually find it quite annoying. I can't say he is 'awesome' and he has moments I don't like, but so does everyone on the cast.

For layout and writing I am using Canva, it is so simple to use once you learn it. It has free stock images and graphics too!

Would love to see actually how you "prep" for a game. Likely in the line of what the LazyGM proposes. Thanks for sharing the wisdom!

It's possible, but with a load of railroading and illusionism.

Haha planing

Soo what do you prep instead

I love random tables and books of them, or games that use them well. But I often find that using them in your game well means taking inspiration from those tables and making your own *smaller* custom tables tailored to your needs. Like you said, it makes it more meaningful for the players, and it's more efficient and easier for the DM in the moment.

Create the world, not the story

HaHaha, Planing

I forced my players into a plot to keep someone from ever speaking again because I let one of them caste arcane lock on someone's mouth, then a dragon did it to him and said if he ever speaks again it'll be back. Which the dragon is literally a god that is over 150 feet tall and 950+ feet long, so it returning is worse than a Terasque(I do not know how to spell the name, it is basically midnight so don't tell me to find my D&D books). How much worse? End Of Existence, a full existential threat. So, essentially the party has to do the normal stuff while also keeping ONE PERSON IN THEIR PARTY from uttering a single word.

I agree to a certain extent. I tend to have a beginning and “planned” ending but the in between is never thought of. Of course the ending changes during the campaign but I mainly have it so that the players have a reason to join together in the first place

Just subbed!!

This episode was rated poorly? I always thought it was phenomenal.

Valuable advice, thanks. In hindsight this would have been very useful in certain circumstances!

I recommend you also look into the 4D method of role playing.

Any interest in reading my movie script? It's based on being an extra for John Putch upcoming Christmas movie filmed in Kansas.

I dont know about anyone else, but I LOVE this ep because it stars my favorite character Data. Plus, in an avalanche of work for poor Brent, he had to do the best he could in the miniscule time he had to devise these characters, and I think he did an amazing job. Spiner is super talented and can do little wrong as far as I am concerned.

Great interview

I would also suggest making sure you get enough sleep! If you are sleep deprived, all the preparation in the world won't help. But if you are well-rested, you are in good shape to be able to react nimbly to whatever your players throw at you!

Man are you kidding? admirals are traitors and starfleet are all whiners is *established* in TNG. As proved by every starfleet admiral throughout the entire run, and Jellico. The newer shows characters are far far more capable professionals than those in TNG. And Picard is one of the worst ship captains in any tv show bar none. He should have stayed in science division. That's why crew morale and discipline was terrible under his command.

And this episode is why people hated Wesley Crusher. Well, one of the many reasons.

I really did not see the threat that the aliens posed. When they got upset they just moved a little closer. Picard forgot about the famous “back up” tactic.

I got this video in my recommended and with that oddly specific title, i just had to check it out

You play with PCs that have ethics? 🤔

My only complaint from day one is they didn't really kill him Are the teenagers here just as 'open' in private as the adults?

I don't disagree with a lot of what you say here. But, you are missing one crucial point. This wasn't a commentary on capital punishment in basic society. This was a not-so-subtle stab at Christianity by an ardent anti-Christian... Gene Roddenberry. The garden of Eden is played out, through the eyes of an anti-Christian, in this episode. God is heartless and overbearing, his children are flighty and ignorant, and punishment is black and white to a fault. As a Christian, I cannot see this episode or the 5th movie without feeling utterly hated by the creator of said products. I love Star Trek, but I have to set aside certain feelings while watching it sometimes, and choose to not watch episodes and/or movies that are designed as an insult of my faith.

yes Wesley wasn't a Mary Sue, but he dam sure is a Karen.

I'll nitpick: at least *some* of the sex is necessary in Star Trek. It's hard to explore taboos and society norms surrounding them otherwise. Plus, I think part of message is in the future, we'd be less hung up on such things (a continuation of the Sexual Revolution of the 60s and 70s). Do they go overboard with it? Yes. Can they do away with it entirely? I'm not so sure....

Wesley Crusher galled me from episode one. When he began getting storylines I simply turned them off. Since then I've converted my entire Star Trek collection into mkv files to watch from a hard dive, all that is, except for any WC (pun intended) episodes where he was a central character. He almost single handily ruined TNG for me, After I dumped his episodes it was unfortunate I couldn't do the same for the abysmal Riker ones too.

Nice to hear an impassioned defense of Wes for a change! 👍

1. Accused of a Crime: Your party could also be involved because an important NPC to them has been accused of the crime. The Capt. of the Town Guard was brutally murdered, obviously a ritual using dark magic. Lucking the villainous and foul murderer has been caught and will soon be executed, the captain's fiancé.....Wait! you don't mean the Paladin's little sister?? Oh no!! Tune in Next Week! 3. Alignment - In the Newest edition of Talislanta they do alignment a little differently. Instead of being Good/Evil x Law/Chaos, it's all about how your character aligns with the beliefs, cultural norms, and practices of your culture. Are you a true believer / a skeptic / an unbeliever or a radical / maybe an amoral outcast who believes the rules are for chumps and rubes. For instance, the Satada (a subterranean reptilian species that look down on races of men, as they only have worth is as slaves, or perhaps the occasional midnight snack. Are you all in, or do you have reservations?

To learn from our short comings and the trials of others, we build the road to the future one step at a time. Taking the faults of a Star Trek episode, and turning them into a universal resource for others, is perhaps THE most Star Trek thing to be done.

If yall think a virgin birth by a supernatural being is "assault", i have bad news for yall about christianity.

Wow, I have your non-prep book, I didn’t realize you were the author, well done sir!🎉

Hey that's cool I already have the big book with tons of your random tables. They are so amazing! It's one of my favorite books to use in sessions! These are great suggestions and I can say they do work and add for more emergent storytelling which is just the best that can happen.

I need to rewatch this episode, because I don't remember it being a plot that directly endangers more than a few people at the time, rather that if it wasn't resolved soon it would become a threat to other people on the ship.

I think the most useful advice for running low-prep games is actually passing the burden of coming up with stuff to your players beforehand and then just connecting the threads. Transparency makes everything run a lot smoother and eventually stops hindering immersion bc you cultivate investment. Less linear games are also easier to run once you’ve figured things out, create elements in your world that can move on their own and will naturally interact with one another so you dont have to come up with interesting developments out of nowhere

This video came up in my feed and I needed it!

Fair enough