Tabletop gamers have a… complicated relationship with death. Some see it as a dark tragedy, saying goodbye to a beloved character. Others see it as a frustrating time brought on by poor planning and bad strategy. But for the goblins of Beadle & Grimm’s, it’s the best fun they can have at the table. After a successful game of their hilariously deadly… Dungeons & Dragons show Faster, Purple Worm! Kill it! Kill it!, In the Pandemonium Warehouse I made a book It’s both a celebration of the show and a chance for players at home to join in the die-hard fun. Faster, Purple Worm! We’re All Dying, Vol. 1 Featuring adventures by Jasmine Buller, Kylie Bray, John Ciccolini, Matthew Lillard, Sarah Madsen, Bill Rehol, Charlie Rehol, Brian Suskind, and Kate Welch, players will confront death in the best way possible. We spoke with Bill, John, and Charlie from Beadle & Grimm to find out what went into creating the deadliest D&D anthology after Gygax.
What is it like working on a Beadle & Grimm tabletop TV show?
CharlieHonestly, it’s a little surreal. I had so much fun making this show and working with such a talented cast and crew, but it all feels like a bit of a blur now. We were shooting three episodes a day and running around like mad trying to get it all together, so my memory of the last two weeks is basically a chaotic collection of things that went wrong, things that unexpectedly went well, or both at the same time. So when I actually watch the show, as I’ve done at a few viewing parties recently, I’m always vaguely surprised that all that running around actually resulted in something that worked so well.
Why is dying in games so much fun?
CharlieJust like how rolling a :1 is more fun than a crit, the fun begins when things go off the rails.
How do you make dying on a tabletop fun?
invoice: A big part is making it a foregone conclusion. There are no surprises or disappointments in Faster, Purple Worm! Kill! Kill!. You know from the beginning that you’re destined to die, so there’s no pressure whatsoever. Oddly enough, this is exactly what you see in a lot of live celebrity plays. In these shows, players generally roleplay with abandon, knowing that the DM can’t possibly kill them. Similarly, you can be any hero you want if you accept that you have no hope of survival.
In reality, many players end up creating characters that wouldn’t “make strategic sense” in a normal D&D game, like an old warrior, a giant thief, or a party made up entirely of clerics. Min/Maxing is useless in Purple Worm. Just play an inspired character and have fun while it lasts.
How would you describe the fun and chaos? Faster, Purple Worm! Kill it! Kill it! A simple book?
JohnFirst, there’s the structure of each adventure. Yeah, sure, I know we’re including a big bad at the end to ensure an epic annihilation, but it’s the challenges you overcome along the way that make it so satisfying. The boundaries players must overcome are constructed to encourage roleplay, often asking players to freely express parts of their character’s personality.
Next, amp up the chaos by using the random tables more than usual. Finally, include a DM sidebar that offers suggestions for keeping the game spontaneous. For example, instead of giving players command words for their magic items, consider having them make up command words on the spot. Or go even further and put four random (or not-so-random, if their characters are known) command words in a hat and let the players choose.
Improvisation Faster, Purple Worm! Kill it! Kill it! And that’s obviously a big part of the book. How did you think about how to encourage that for players?
John: First, provide plenty of opportunities in a written adventure. Also, don’t always require your players to figure everything out on their own. If you let your players pick personality quirks out of a hat or ask an NPC a question directly, it takes the pressure off them to come up with something fun or interesting, and you simply ask for a reaction. For some players, that’s a lot easier. Finally, if you have shy players who don’t like to improvise, don’t force it. Let them join in when they’re ready, and passively enjoy the mayhem.
Do you have any tips for GMs to deal with player improvisation?
John:
- Get out of the way and let them play, but make sure everyone has a say – don’t let one or two players dominate the whole game.
- At the table, foster a “yes and…” mentality for both you as the DM and your players. When players improvise, the best response is to accept and act on their contributions whenever possible. Try not to be dismissive. You know, the old improv rule.
- Finally, my Personal We prefer improvisation to be inspired by in-game situations and character interactions, not anachronistic out-of-game jokes from players, so encourage it at first, but after that… get out of the way and let them play.
What efforts did you make to make this book different from other adventure anthologies?
invoice: We strongly encourage players and DMs to embrace the beautiful chaos of group storytelling. Each adventure features a call-out box titled “Keep it Spontaneous,” with suggestions for inserting unexpected, improvisational moments into your game. Anything is possible, from randomizing magic item powers to having players write songs about toads.
These are also pretty simple stories – coming face to face with death certainly makes for some poignant moments, but for the most part these adventures are fast-paced and light-hearted, requiring very little preparation from the DM and very little from the players – a great way to get some real D&D experience in a short amount of time.
You can go back Faster Purple Worm! Everyone Dies! Vol. 1 Until September 25th.
Image courtesy of Beadle & Grimm’s
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