Leave the books in your bag if you can.

Preface: This advice is mostly intended for veteran, long term GMs. I wouldn’t recommend some of this starting out, but please take what is useful to you. There’s no right or wrong way here. It’s also important to note this technique has been around for decades. I first read about it in XDM by Tracy Hickman. I believe Robin D. Laws may have mentioned it in Robin’s Laws of Good Game Mastering. (It’s been a while.)

I’ve been watching a lot of YouTube channels that have GMs who have changed up Initiative, the way they do stat blocks, and overall rulings at the table. All of these things are aimed at getting the players more immersed in the action and thinking in character instead of looking purely at stats.

One GM doesn’t even allow the players to have books at the table. (I sure hope his players at least write their spell effects down.) No phones, laptops, books, or tablets at the table cuts down on time looking up rules and more time telling the GM what the character is doing.

It’s about what the Player Characters would do, not what’s on their sheet.

A lot of turn based video games have drop down menus of actions their characters can do. The player has it easy because they can choose weapon, spell, potion, move, or flee during a combat encounter. (Just a random example.) TTRPGs don’t work that way.

What does your character do? It’s not on the character sheet necessarily. Does the fighter swing 3 times or slide down the banister on his shield and try to lop the skulls off the undead on the way by? Does the Cleric roll to Turn Undead or display the mighty light of his deity with holy symbol held aloft so the skeletons might shrink back into darkness? Does the rogue try to roll sneak attack or do a flip up onto the Ogre’s back and attempt to plunge her stilettos into its neck?

A lot of GMs have started using a story forward approach instead of focusing on the mechanics of the game. Would Legend of Vox Machina have been as exciting if the characters were limited to just what was on their character sheet? Doubtful. It cuts down on the time looking up every fussy little rule and just winging it off the cuff. We can always look things up  later.

This plan works best with rules lite games.

It’s more certain if you do this with a rules lite game such as ICRPG, Deathbringer, or Fantasy AGE. It’s probably a little tougher to pull off on games with heavier mechanics such as GURPS, Role Master, or even Pathfinder 2E. Any game where the rules tend to be crunchier, it’s harder to just roll with the punches and describe the action.

The simulationist or mechanics first style of game requires strict adherence to the rules. Personally, I would find it difficult to run Old School Essentials Advanced Fantasy by the book if the rules weren’t handy to review. Yes, it can be run off the cuff, especially if the GM writes down critical monster stats and maybe some abilities or spells ahead of time. Prep becomes more essential when crunchier games are being played.

Also, stat blocks or at least some sort of written material is necessary if random tables are in play on the GM’s side. I write down my d12 encounter tables in my notes. Wandering monsters have long been kinda my thing and I wouldn’t be caught dead without the table and some idea of the monsters’ abilities on hand in my notes. I didn’t say we were going totally paperless.

Cut down prep time and open the world up more with fewer stat blocks.

I’ve said in other articles that most major NPCs and especially minor non combative NPCs don’t need stats or just minimal ones if something needs to be rolled. Most veteran GMs can usually guess at difficulty numbers and NPC skills anyway. Full confession: I don’t even look half the time when I do have specifics written down because I either have it memorized or I just know about what the numbers should look like.

The GM always has the benefit of not rolling dice and just describing what happens so long as it doesn’t directly affect one of the Player Characters. Most systems still require the GM to make hit rolls in combat. Likewise, the players are going to want to know specific numbers if their precious characters’ lives hang precariously in the balance.

We can break d20 down into even simpler rules.

There’s the GM rule of thirds. If something minor still requires the player to roll, but it’s easy, then anything above a 6 is fine. If it’s probably, 10 + succeeds. If it’s particularly difficult, a 17+ gets it done. (All unmodified d20 rolls, btw.) I give the character the benefit of the doubt if they are reasonably skilled in whatever they’re doing.

This can be utilized as a combat resource as well in most d20 fantasy games. Damage/Hit Points are easily broken down into 1,2, or 3 hits for minions and lackeys: or 30, 50, or 100 hit points for bigger monsters. Sometimes this technique is better discussed before the game begins. It can make the players feel like they’re wasting time rolling dice if a solid hit automatically downs a mook. (1 hit monster.)

The upside to simplified skills and combat is to get the players to take more risks like their characters would. What happens if I hit this ogre with a stick? What happens if I get the monster to chase me down a hallway where my companions have cleverly laid out a rope trap? My fighter can knock a bunch of these skeletons down fast if I know just hitting them will get the job done. We, as GMs, want the player to spend their turns influencing the game, not fumbling around in a rulebook.

It’s a lot of fun once you master the skill.

Back in the day, eons ago when dinosaurs ruled the Earth and I still went to gaming conventions, the skill involved with running a game practically diceless came in extremely handy. Someone needs me to run a game I’ve barely heard of on short notice. No sweat. Once I figured out the basic success/failure mechanic, everything else took care of itself.

I’m happy that those YouTubers have been talking about deeper immersion and less crunch. It’s not for everyone, and I certainly don’t think inexperienced GMs should do it on their first outings in the hobby. However, minimal stat blocking or using the stats from just notes and not having books on the table can really help speed the game up under some circumstances and grant the players a bit more agency at the table in my experience.

Of course, there are several Grognards who are probably going to disagree with me on this one. I know there’s an outcry against story gaming. I know there are rules purists for practically every game out there who insist on strict adherence to the rules. You know what? Cool. Do what works best for your and your group.

Thank you for being here today. I appreciate it. Embrace that which brings the most joy. See you tomorrow.