How to get "Good Answers"™ from Strangers on the Internet

I happen to spend a decent amount of time on the internet (shocker... I know), and often in places where questions are asked, and usually answered.

When posting a question to people on the internet, here's a few things to think of.

1. Be Polite.
2. They are probably not being paid, free answers are paid for with time (possibly, sometimes people respond to things quickly).
3. Remember when you are asking for opitions/options vs. facts.
4. Ask "Good Questions" by avoiding things like the XY problem.
5. Don't make people ask you to provide information that is required to answer the problem.
6. Don't ask to ask (generally speaking), unless you are being force to interrupt an active discussion.
7. Show that you've done a bit of research and/or thinking about it on your own.
8. If there are restrictions on answers, state them as early in the conversation as possible.
9. Understand that someone might think the whole thing is a bad idea, instead of arguing, ask why, you might find the answer in their critique (also, you have nothing to lose by listening to their opinion)!
10. Be Excellent to Each Other.

I am sure that I have missed some things, but this will make a great starting off point for anyone interested in seeking knowledge from strangers on the internet!

Degrees of Success, or Bringing the Narrative Heat in 5e

I know, I know, 5e isn't OSR, and I get it, I really do!

While I generally prefer to run (and play in) systems that fall under the "OSR" or "Narrative" categories, I often use 5e at my IRL tables, just due to the fact that it is what people I enjoy playing with have access to and enjoy. I have no particular love, nor hate for 5e, I just like refining/house-ruling things to fit my approach to play. These are the "biggest" changes from RAW that I use.

Look at the outcomes differently:
Don't think in terms of pass or fail, think degree of success. In combat, this means that outside of a nat1 the attack does *something* in the narrative. It is really disappointing to get to ones turn in initiative, and literally be able to do nothing (negative status effects aside).

By applying concepts such as "failing forward", "partial success", and "success with a cost" a creative GM can make just about any roll interesting and engaging for the player. Will there be situations where pass/fail is the right way to judge a roll? Absolutely, but it shouldn't be the "only" or "primary" way of reading the dice.

Saves already kinda work like this, the player is engaged regardless of a good/bad outcome.
In combat it could look something like this:
Criticals/Fumbles - No change.
Clean hit - No change.
Misses - This is where it can get interesting, depending on the situation, how much they missed by, etc. It could be a "glancing blow" or "ricochet" for partial/splash/environmental damage, it could be a wild miss, but it still interacts with the scene. A "miss" on an attack is still an attack made and attempted. A success with a cost could be an attack landing squarely, but the opponent manages to knock the attacker off balance (disadvantage for 1 round unless they use it to focus on regaining their composure), or something like that.

For skill checks, especially on mundane things (non-trapped locks), the GM could interpret a "failure" as "your tool breaks" or "the lock is damaged beyond use, someone will know it has been tampered with", because let's face it, they'll just keep "rolling to pick the lock" if it's "you don't pick it" as the outcome!

Give them a way to "push" against a failure:
If the natural outcome of a roll is a failure, consider letting the player "push" the roll (also known as a grit roll), where they roll again (sometimes with an increased difficulty, but not disadvantage generally), success outcomes aren't altered, but a failure is significantly worse than they were already going to be. Another option in this (or many many other situations) is to give them a Devil's Bargain, they can make it a pass, but there will be a narrative consequence that ups the stakes for the character(s) involved.

Think beyond +X items for magical things:
I love using magical items to help shore up (or play up) a character's weakness. I tend to be very stingy in 5e about giving +hit, +damage is much easier to deal with when balancing action economies (for me at least). Plus, I've found my players have a lot more fun with "interesting" magic rather than "powerful" magic when it comes to items. They all tend to enjoy things that allow them to find "different" ways to approach problems more than things that are just an "I win" button.

I've found the following resources very helpful when brainstorming these kinds of items, I try to flavor them to the setting/character/campaign when I can:
https://goblinpunch.blogspot.com/2015/01/d100-minor-magical-items.html
https://www.lordbyng.net/inspiration/

These are the three major changes I make with 5e consistently. I also tend to give the PCs a bit more starting health these days. For level 1 they get their Constitution score + a full hit die. For levels 2-20, they get the normal hit die + Constitution modifier. This allows me to actually throw encounters at them at level 1, without inflating their HP too much for the rest of the campaign.

Hopefully these suggestions can help bring more of a narrative and immersive feel to your tables.

Rolling Dice for Fun and Profit!

One thing I've notice quite frequently with newer GMs is the one of a player stating they are rolling "inspection" or "perception", reading the number off and expecting the GM to provide a result for them based on that number. The exchange usually goes like this:

GM: You enter a room, there's a book-case along one wall, about half-full of books. There is also a small desk and chair, with the remains of an old oil lamp, and an inkwell on top. What do you do?
Player: I roll investigation *dice roll* I got a 12, what do I find?
GM: *pausing, trying to figure out what they should find in this room they planned to be empty*
GM: Ummmm, you find a couple of blank scrolls on the desk.
Player: I roll investigation again *dice roll* I got a 21, now what do I find?
GM: Uhhhhhhh....

The better way (for both players and the GM in the long run), to approach a roll like this would be like this:

Slay: You walk into the Parlor. There is a large bookshelf along the opposite wall, a large table with several open tomes is in the middle of the room. Unlike the rest of the rooms you've been in, this one doesn't smell of mold, instead the air has a slight metallic tinge in your nostrils. What do you do?
Player: I roll investigation *dice roll* I got a 12, what do I find?
Slay: You find a strange polyhedral stone on the floor, the number 12 is visible on the top face.
Player: ...
Slay: No, really, where in the room are you looking, and what are you trying to find?
Player: I'm looking for blueprints, or other information regarding the prison outside of town, we already know this was their house. I'll start with the books open on the table.
Slay: Great idea! The books open on the table are a family recipe book (with a page torn out you notice), and a bit of a "trophy log" for the family hunts.
Player: Drat... I guess I'll just walk over to the bookshelf and start looking at the titles there.
Slay: None of the titles stand out to you in particular, but one book with a simple, untitled brown binding, seems to have less dust on it than most of the others.
Player: I pull that one out.
Slay: You notice that it feels a bit heavier than it should.
Player: I walk over to the table, set it down and open it up.
Slay: Roll a dex save.
Player: I roll a 13.
Slay: You just manage to notice the dart come flying out of the book, right at your face, with barely enough time to move as it whistles by and lodges in the ceiling, the glowing purple liquid in the ampoule clearly visible.

Working like this, the GM can get hints as to what the Player(s) are interested in (easy hooks), as well as help immerse them in the game. This isn't saying always give them what they are looking for, but a good search could always turn up something useful (potion, things worth selling, etc.), a red herring, or something awesome (even if it isn't what they wanted)!

The 5 Ws (a brief introduction of mine)...

Who: Me/I/Myself/etc.
What: This Blog
When: As posted
Where: Here
Why: Why not?

All jokes aside, here's a few bullet points:

• I'm an avid systemhawk.
• I dig OSR systems for the general tone of the adventures and settings.
• I dig Narrative systems for their emphasis on fiction-first.
• I've been involved with ttrpg games since the early 1990s.

Every Journy Must Start Sometime...

A few notes:

1) This space is currently under construction.
2) Management is not responsible for injuries from falling debris.
3) You have been warned!