So I’ve been playing for 33 years and only in recent times have I been challenged to think about something we’ve done since the beginning. When you crash in the door, and as GM you know there’s a monster there…do you immediately roll initiative or describe the room? Now I don’t have the text in front of me, but I recall Gary Gygax writing something back in the day about how you should immediately roll initiative and don’t mention obstacles or even the damn walls until they come into play. I’m not sure I’d want to be at that table. Oh sure, if you’re doing it real old school without miniatures who cares, right?Well I gave long thought to my Basic D&D days of the 80’s. And I remembered something we did before even reading that advice, when all we had were a few pieces of unpainted lead and some graph paper. I would quickly draw the room’s walls and any exits and then roll initiative. And the group goes in and runs around killing the monster, or monsters. Then the module text tells me what they find, and sometimes it would mention a desk, a wardrobe or even an oven or forge. And no one ever asked “where were these things when we were in combat”? Because no one cared! By the point when someone did care it became an issue. “A roper?! Holy crap, is there something to hide behind so I can fire my bow at it?!” Because then when the GM starts to care you get this: Player: I run by the wall to the south and into the corner. GM: You trip over the bench and fall down the two flights of stairs that are there. So at some point this became important to all. And in 2nd edition I’d frequently use tables or stairs or obstacles to make an encounter more dynamic. The problem of course lies in that there’s a certain expectation of combat and game excitement that can grind to a halt while rooms are drawn or tiles take too long to get positioned at the table. Once 3rd edition hit and tiles became more widespread I let them do the work for me, because a picture is worth a thousand words.
- Open the door.
- Wham! Plunk down the tile, add a bookcase or whatever (or not if it’s already drawn on there).
- Roll initiative and get to the murdering.
The obstacles become part of the dynamics of exciting combat, providing cover, tactical advantage or even as improvised weapons. Well, now in Pathfinder Modules it turns out the gang at Paizo does it all sorts of ways in their own campaigns, but smooth layout and writing style is meant for the GM , not the players, so they first describe the room, then any denizens therein, then treasure or interesting items of note. Which doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the order to use if it leads to this amusing exchange: GM: The first thing that catches your eye is a beautiful painting of the Ustalav countryside showing a carriage against a gothic castle. There’s a four poster bed in the corner, and a writing desk loaded with alchemical items to in the far corner. A carpet showing Osirion design lies across the floor.Player: Neat! Ok, I go and examine the…GM: The group of norkers growl at you brandishing their weapons, roll for initiative!Player: What?! Where the hell did they come from?! It doesn’t matter why norkers are in such a fine bedroom, the point is they are there ready to die and get looted by adventurers. Thus the combat became all that more exciting and dynamic for it. Of course this brings us right back to the beginning where there’s an expectation of combat and a player needs to sit patiently through the author’s award-winning room description prose!Sometimes it’s up to the group!
