It’s the Little Things…

I love to DM. I love world building, encounter creation, story development, etc. I love playing almost as much, but mostly because it affords me an opportunity to learn from another DM’s style. Every DM is different and it’s so easy to get wrapped up in the way you always do things that you forget to develop new methods of doing things.

Our current DM (whom I am sharing the campaign with–we swap DMing about every six months) started doing something right away that I really liked: teasers. A day or two before each game, he’ll send out an email with a quick recap of where the party was at the end of the last session and a little tidbit of what is to come for the next session. Such a small and simple thing but the level of excitement it builds in our group, and in myself, is awesome. We all look forward to our D&D weekends but when we read those teasers, we start to imagine our characters in their environment again, speculating on what they will encounter and how it will go.

This weekend, our group is taking a one-night hiatus from our normal game so our current DM can take a break after travelling for business the past week. I offered to run a one-night Gamma World adventure–our group could use a night of silly escapism away from the norm, anyhow. After consulting Twitter for ideas and getting some awesome ones from @dazedsaveends, @johntoenjes, and @ericnsamuels, I put something together last night that I think will be fun. No one else in the group has ever played Gamma World so I was inspired to send out a teaser email to let everyone know what to expect… for the most part. Since it was a one-night adventure, I gave a little more info in the teaser than I normally would but in this case, I feel it was necessary. Here’s what I sent out:

Welcome to Gamma Terra, or Earth after the Big Mistake. One hundred and fifty years have passed since the Big Mistake. Fluctuating time lines, lingering radiation and toxins, and strange creatures and technology transposed from alternate dimensions have combined to create a unique setting that any of the Ancients would think the height of unrealistic fantasy. But to the inhabitants of Gamma Terra, our fantasy is their reality.

In a quiet corner of New Boise, at the base of the foothills, an underground genetics laboratory has spawned new life as an unknown entity has brought power once again to its facilities. The lab has been autonomously working for nearly a decade now and the advanced artificial intelligence that runs it is determined to rebuild humanity… but there’s something wrong. Not only have the internal systems been corrupted, the only reference material that the system has are old DVDs of television shows from the 1950s. Locals around the north end of New Boise are reporting an entire community that is being built… one that seems perfect on the outside, but something is awry. Locals are also reporting that friends and family members are going missing in the night. Others say they have seen glimpses of a huge furry beast who calls itself, ‘Cleaver’.

What is going on in New Boise? Who, or what, is behind the resurgence of this ancient laboratory and what is it’s goal?

Such a simple email and yet I’ve already received several responses from everyone about how cool it sounds and how they can’t wait. Sometimes it’s the little things that add the most to a game night.

What are some of the little things that you do before, during, or after your game sessions? What has worked? What has not?

Thanks for reading!