The midway point has truly been reached and from here it is most definitely down hill.

This belated posts #RPGaDAY2020 inspiring theme is…

Without drama the stories we tell with our players would be boring and mundane.

However having adding dramatic moments to our encounters helps keep them interesting, unpredictable.

For me there has only been one dramatic moment in our current campaign (although maybe the players might possibly disagree) and that was the session where the party took part in a historical recreation of an infamous halfling battle at the Mintarn arena as party of a celebration organised by the Tyrant of Mintarn.

The dramatic part that I introduced to this encounter was having it gatecrashed by the red dragon Hoondarrh, demanding that the tribute is delivered early.

This was a big surprise for them. They had no suspicion that this is how the encounter would end.

A dramatic moment in an encounter doesn’t have to be having a big dragon appear. It could be as simple as enemy reinforcements arriving mid battle, a wounded member of the party taken hostage.

The dramatic moment is an unexpected twist.

I think dramatic moments like this should be used sparingly. Or they lose their impact because the players will be expecting them to happen. Keeping the players on their toes, wondering how the encounter will play out, adds to the tension.

Not great words on the subject. But still my simple thoughts. See you in tomorrows post.