Why You Need these Secrets & Hidden Codes For Your Game - GM Tips

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  • Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
  • Creating secrets and hidden codes for you game can make your game that more exciting. We take a look at how you can go about creating them and implementing them into your game!
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 123

  • @HowtobeaGreatGM
    @HowtobeaGreatGM  5 років тому +19

    What ways have you added secrets and hidden codes in your games?

    • @jeremybarrett3616
      @jeremybarrett3616 5 років тому +8

      How to be a Great Game Master Kenku code talkers. Because nothing is more disconcerting then a series of odd noises and disjointed words in different voices which all have a collective meaning. Because the Kenku in that area all shared the same sounds with one another so they could communicate in secret.
      Throw in hand signals,changes in stance and head movements then voila! You have the Code Talkers. And now have Kenku as invaluable individuals for sending secret messages.
      Especially when messages can be sent by ravens which speak the message. xD Was actually partially inspired by the Wind Talkers of World War 2.

    • @malks2500
      @malks2500 5 років тому

      @@jeremybarrett3616 I'm interested albiet a bit confused...can you explain it a little differently?

    • @Cyrusicus
      @Cyrusicus 5 років тому +5

      One time i ran i session to introduce a multilingual archaeologist that was studying ancient scripture lost to time to locate a doomsday weapon. He was working on a cipher for this ancient language when he made a break through and decided to contact the party, when he mysteriously disappear *cough the enemy spies nabbed him*. When the character's were investigating his work site they found many pieces of paper written that had a small bit of the cipher in various different languages, some had a translation written in elvish, some in uncommon, some in celestial, etc. The group had to put together the messages by combining their know language proficiency and context clues to locate the doomsday device before the enemy.
      Another time i just used pig Latin from a guy in a trench coat and that took my players a horrifying amount of time to decipher.

    • @zanderthegreen2385
      @zanderthegreen2385 5 років тому +1

      Well I've got a secret language of oppressed blood mages. If they manage to escape they could use their blood to write unique runes to warn or help others of their race as they can sense blood no matter how old though fresher is better. So long as there isn't rain or water.

    • @CityKanin
      @CityKanin 5 років тому +1

      Colored lenses that reveal a message within a wall hanging! :) Not an original idea, but put your own spin on it and it’ll be fun!

  • @tengwean6182
    @tengwean6182 5 років тому +91

    Oh, I don't have to hit my players with my longsword whenever my monsters hit? Might explain why my players avoid combat ...

    • @robertnett9793
      @robertnett9793 5 років тому +17

      Why? We have the rule 'Character Death = Player Death" since years. Keeps the players on their toes and the table fresh and regulary changing.

    • @robertnett9793
      @robertnett9793 5 років тому +2

      @David Strickland Look - players are like StarTrek redshirts. I still believe that they will learn - through experience and natural selection.

    • @Mr.Monster1984
      @Mr.Monster1984 4 роки тому

      @@robertnett9793 if I also get real gold I'd give it a go

    • @robertnett9793
      @robertnett9793 4 роки тому

      @@Mr.Monster1984 Touché, I guess :D Good one.

  • @firestorm165
    @firestorm165 5 років тому +37

    I am banned from ever using a cipher in my games ever again. My players spent a whole year trying to decipher one I made on my lunch break without success.
    One of them did join the navy as a cryptographer afterwards though saying he found his passion so there was one silver lining

  • @JinbaHGS
    @JinbaHGS 5 років тому +42

    Don't forget smoke signals too. I'm using those in my current campaign to great effect.

    • @derkrischa3720
      @derkrischa3720 5 років тому +5

      little line of smoke = dinner is ready
      Big smoke cloude = The orcs have won the battle and the castle is in ruins
      ^^

    • @mwhearn1
      @mwhearn1 4 роки тому

      @@derkrischa3720 there also messages sent by light. Either on/off long/short Morse code or semaphore.

  • @rashkavar
    @rashkavar 5 років тому +28

    Hint: anyone who's writing about Forgotten Realms Drow and liked the spider message idea: they *very much do* care about spiders and their well being. I think Drizzt in the first book, during his childhood, was beaten nearly to death for accidentally squishing a spider. When your deity is the demonic queen of spiders, you bloody well do care about them.

    • @ajd2393
      @ajd2393 4 роки тому +2

      He was beaten half to death because as a child he wasn't allowed to even look at spiders and at first he couldn't help it.

  • @TooLateForIeago
    @TooLateForIeago 5 років тому +17

    Drow spider web communication is brilliant.

  • @TeamKhandiKhane
    @TeamKhandiKhane 5 років тому +9

    ""Hi, please shave me" the greatest pickup line in the world I think." So quality.

    • @jackielinde7568
      @jackielinde7568 5 років тому

      Might be a little awkward when they start with your naughty regions, and the message is on your head.

  • @CobaltGM
    @CobaltGM 5 років тому +10

    What a wealth of knowledge!! After every video posted by you, a flood of ideas, and scenarios explode forth!! Thank you for the inspiration!!

  • @lisaeichler2101
    @lisaeichler2101 5 років тому +3

    We had a lemon juice letter in our campaign. The player who got a hold of it was very excited - feeling so clever that he knew how to get it to reveal itself. He held it in front of a candle IRL, and as he was trying to decipher it, it caught fire -- and ended up burning away entirely. And yes, we still laugh at him for it a decade later. :D

    • @lisaeichler2101
      @lisaeichler2101 5 років тому +2

      Oh and the GM let the clue be lost to the ages. She was like that.

  • @derkrischa3720
    @derkrischa3720 5 років тому +4

    Depending on the group using a secret code, there can also be countermeasures to prevent them. Like a royal court, that only allowes fully shaved servants, to prevent someone bringing in/out a hidden message ore something like that.
    Showing the Players this countermeasures and explaining them (by an NPC) can be a good way to make make the Players look for something like that.
    eg:
    "There are no handkerchiefes allowed in the castle, because the assassins guilde uses the weave as a code and we don't want the lord to get killed again..."

  • @MasterZelgadis
    @MasterZelgadis 5 років тому +17

    Regarding ciphers: Real world military uses dryad tables (Google it) to authenticate and to encrypt messages. Everyone has to have the same table of course. For authentication I would say something like "Authenticate alpha mike zulu". So you would take the table, forget alpha, because it is just a fixed word in this, go to the row labelled M (mike) and in that row look for Z (zulu). Then you answer with the letter to the right of that.
    Encrypting and decrypting messages is a bit more complicated, there you use a set letter, which you have to change multiple times during the message. But I think it's a cool system. Google should find a nice black site, with a dryad table generator, which also explains authentication and encryption

  • @gnarthdarkanen7464
    @gnarthdarkanen7464 5 років тому +7

    Great idea for conversation, Guy!!!
    I've always started with ciphers and codes on a relatively simple basis... AND it's worth pointing out that more often than not, in my experience, Players DO rather enjoy some visual devices and aids. It's worth it (even) to go ahead and put a little real effort into a device or aid, so your Players CAN examine the thing if they wish, so making it "Complete" enough to bear a bit of scrutiny is generally a good idea...
    BUT be prepared for an underwhelming response to the thing. As I started this one, I like to start any game around ciphers or codes with a relatively simple one... practically speaking a "gimme".
    First, you don't have to waste hours and days working hard and researching difficult and murky principles to stump your Players, even short term. It's not worth the effort if they're going to roll their eyes and start huffing about "that stupid sh*t"... BUT a light puzzle to gauge their receptiveness is JUST coded and engaging enough to "charge a roll or two out of them" for clues before moving on through it.
    IF they prefer to engage this nifty puzzle and decipher it on their own (provided you DID invest just enough for a complete visual prop and a cipher to go with it)... GREAT, you've found something ENGAGING for your group... and you can make the next steps as appropriate (try not to over-do it)... to build on this for more fun in the future.
    IF they engage a bit, but start quickly reverting to rolls... then let them have it, and go on. It's alright. There are LOTS of other tools in a good GM's "dirty black bag of secrets" to keep the game moving and fun. No need to repeat what doesn't work... or worse, what actually breaks engagement.
    For myself... I like to start with simple codes and puzzles... things like the combination to a lock, encrypted to symbols or scratches or even tally-marks on a wall somewhere else. OR I found the right book at the right time, and did a little work to improvise a "Thieves' Cantor" code out of hobo-codes from around the 40's or 50's... It added a level of "text-ish?" to the description of D&D's traditional "Thieves' Cant" that just sounded more like a fit to me, and the Table generally agreed... antics ensued, and it wasn't long before we had some hilarious results... Players trying to improvise their own codes to "keep the GM out of that loop" while I was improvising NPC codes to "make the PC's work for it"... and nobody could sit down for more than a couple minutes at a time.
    Build on what you know "IN the game"... This weaves into theme. More than once, I've been guilty of forgetting "theme" and blindsided my Players while I wondered "How could they be THAT dumb?" ...and that's MY fault. Remember the lines of logic that work with theme, when you're devising these things so you don't throw wild left curves out of the blue. It derails Player thinking and grinds the game to a crashing thud... middle of nowhere.
    Finally, if you're all having fun playing with ciphers and trading insults over codes with each other... while everyone's laughing and having a good time... who cares??? The game will go on. That rescue mission may be a year long, but if everyone's still into it, just give the Princess a few witty retorts about being late, and call it a day. You're GM'ing FINE... ;o)

  • @gazelleguy
    @gazelleguy 5 років тому +20

    I had a game with some of my buddies where we played ourselves, and the party had to discover why I had gone missing. They all found a note, scrawled and crumpled with strange geometric symbols. They eventually discovered the symbols were actually used at the zoo by the orangutans for their language tests they take on the computer, and after a visit they found a scrawled cipher translating symbol to English letters.

    • @oz_jones
      @oz_jones 5 років тому +1

      gazelleguy neat!

  • @seanchambers1519
    @seanchambers1519 5 років тому +2

    In the book Cryptonomicron they talk about a code used in WW2. You take 2 card decks and the sequence of the cards indicates the substitution to be used in the code. If you were captured you just shuffle the deck.

  • @zanderthegreen2385
    @zanderthegreen2385 5 років тому +11

    This reminds me of Puffin Forest video where one player figured out the entire chuthulu plot in 30 secs without even talking to anyone. Lol

    • @The_Custos
      @The_Custos 5 років тому +1

      The sanity loss they must have endured then and there.

  • @warrenokuma7264
    @warrenokuma7264 5 років тому +4

    NPC: We will give you 5,000 gold pieces for the uh... blank sheets of paper.
    PCs: The ones we thrown away?
    Everybody scrambles.

  • @zombiemouse
    @zombiemouse 5 років тому +2

    Invisible ink with UV light kits are super cheap and I've used them with much success in my games. :D

  • @bigheadface
    @bigheadface Рік тому

    I loved the "you're my type of person..." in the handkerchief discussion. lol

  • @nebless-clem
    @nebless-clem 5 років тому +3

    I'm running a modern spy game at the moment so I am using some real ciphers for breaks between games and some easier ones in game, including anagrams and other bits. The hacking is based off sudoku puzzles so a high hacking roll solves some numbers while low rolls fill red squares which have a chance to trigger alarms.

  • @animewarrior16
    @animewarrior16 5 років тому +21

    I feel like suggesting writting on the hood of someone's car with milk is not a great idea, funny, evil, but ill-advised

    • @YoungOneJim
      @YoungOneJim 5 років тому +5

      Yeah, you could definately sour a relationship with a stunt like that!

  • @kerrytking
    @kerrytking 3 роки тому

    That beginning bit was hilarious

  • @Bluecho4
    @Bluecho4 5 років тому +2

    One method of conveying information secretly is through artistic symbolism. You might have a painting that has certain motifs or elements that carry meaning beyond the plain depiction of literal subjects. Every time you see someone trying to analyze the works of famous artists and they say the art carries secret meaning (the film _J'Accuse_ comes to mind, as do most works by Dan Brown), that's the sort of stuff you could incorporate into your games.
    This, obviously, works much better if you, the GM, have some artistic skill. But even a description of a work, theater of the mind, can do the trick.

  • @dnl19-b5y
    @dnl19-b5y 5 років тому +1

    I just finished a cypher that utilizes UV light. The PCs will get a handout with ancient gkyphs and runes and some time later they will get a UV light source. As soon as they try it on the handout, they will see that some of the runes form a combination for an ancient clockwork lock for a gate in a dungeon.

  • @francistorres5839
    @francistorres5839 3 роки тому

    I absolutely loved this video! Plant speak looks like so much fun, I want to try this on my players. Maybe a 'scroll of Plant speak'. And the other lore on historical cyphers! Really fun video, thank you.

  • @malkavian2
    @malkavian2 5 років тому +2

    Party are about to get the first clue to an ancient hidden treasure (it’s a side quest for my Ghosts of Saltmarsh/age of worms campaign)
    It will be a coin with an inscription on it in an ancient language which should point them into a scattering of islands to begin the treasure hunt
    Will use some of the ideas here to flesh out the treasure hunt thanks!

  • @_Gecko
    @_Gecko 5 років тому +7

    HES IN THE STATES! GET EM BOYS

  • @drewcourtney376
    @drewcourtney376 5 років тому

    Just from my own experience, not necessarily with secret messages but messages and notes in general. I ran a prepacked campaign, but instead of photo copying the messages from the book, I found a few fonts that I liked on the internets. Each NPC then had their own handwriting. Printed the notes on normal paper, tore the edges, soaked overnight in old coffee with the edges curled down to soak up the most coffee. Bob's your uncle!! The players absolutely loved it! They new it was prepacked, but things like this made them think otherwise. One of the NPCs wrote in code, nothing like a cipher, just very vague, and the players held onto that note and referenced it all the time to try and clue together the meaning. It played out better than I had hoped for minimal effort. Plus, since I was typing out the notes, I got to change the notes to mesh with the story better, or add notes in the NPC's handwriting if they needed more clues, or needed a red herring.

  • @douglasbaker4562
    @douglasbaker4562 5 років тому

    In an All-Arcane-Casters Campaign, the Party had to figure out what Spell to use to open a Magical entrance to a repository of Fire Magic Knowledge. The Clue was "The Light that never burns, but burns Eternal". The answer was "Continual Flame" (It produces no heat, and does not spread as normal fire, but it never uses fuel, nor does it burn out.).

  • @avitus2
    @avitus2 5 років тому +1

    Not sure if George wrote the code in the Lekku of Star Wars. The first time I seen it appear was in the Rogue Squadron book series (by Michael A. Stackpole & Aaron Allston). But I do remember being very intrigued by that in those books. An example of Twi'lek's using lekku to communicate (more a means of bodylanguage), if the lekku were drapped around the neck it meant that the Twi'lek was untrusting of nearby people or their surroundings. If the lekku were hanging free, it signified trust. During greetings, the lekku were allowed to drape low in front of the legs. And they were known to 'twitch' as a means of communicating something similar to polite applause or foot tapping (like to music).

  • @GrandpasPlace
    @GrandpasPlace 5 років тому +4

    I just pictured a band of explorers entering a dungeon where every spider web had a message in it. All old secret messages sent via spider. lol

    • @jackielinde7568
      @jackielinde7568 5 років тому +2

      If it were my dungeon, the secret messages would be about how management wasn't treating the spiders right. One day United Creepy Crawlies of the Dungeon #246 will go on strike and force management to discuss their demands. More flies and less squishings.

  • @Tysto
    @Tysto 2 роки тому

    “PILOT FriXion Clicker Erasable Gel Ink Pens” are erasable because the ink disappears with heat. You can write a message with normal ink, leaving spaces between the letters, then fill in the letters with the disappearing ink pens. Then when the paper is heated, the second text fades, leaving only the first text. Very cool.

  • @IEatYourSandwiches
    @IEatYourSandwiches 5 років тому +48

    Video title: Why You Need these Secrets & Hidden Codes For Your Game
    Video content: if you pour a small amount of milk on one of your player's car, they won't notice until it sours and ruins the paint job.

  • @CityKanin
    @CityKanin 5 років тому

    This was very thought evoking! I loved the interpretive dance as an idea!!
    Also that could be a fun way to communicate with a deaf/mute person! :D
    I love coming up with weird languages and ciphers! Will use that! Also the shaven head-thingy gave me an idea into my next session, where we are visiting a ransacked monastery :)

  • @fethahedthee1337
    @fethahedthee1337 4 роки тому

    Part puzzle, part code. Gave the party a message from an oriental source (clue 1 didn't get spotted), written vertically, all caps (might have been a mistake, possible clue), and lined up horizontally, so the first letters were all at the top, next row was the second letters, third row third letters etc, the columns were different lengths (clue 2 got spotted eventually), took the players ages. I didn't realise one of the players was dyslexic and he hated it, everybody else loved it. In all caps one or two words can look very like Japanese banners, good flavour for subsequent illustrations.
    Another was 'book code', first number was the page of a book, second number the line down, third number the word in, if needed a fourth number was the letter in that word. Of course the same edition of the same book was needed, I did have to check they all had a players handbook, repeatedly, ad nauseum, until the penny dropped. From an episode of Sharpe's Rifles TV show.
    Simple substitution code, a number represents a letter of a familiar alphabet, the clue will be that the most used letter in the English laguage is 'E', ie 5. BUT
    'Enigma' code is a bugger, using a familiar alphabet- first number or letter is the first letter of the message, second number/letter represents the number of letters on from the first, third letter is counted on from the second etc, a 5 is rarely an 'E'. Inspired by a part of the WW2 german Enigma machine, shouldn't be too hard for a serious fan of codes and cryptography.
    My current party don't all have PHB's, and includes a Sharpe's Rifles fan, a dyslexic and a cryptography programer, think i'll use the lemon juice this time, give the chef a chance.

  • @mushroomsoup2866
    @mushroomsoup2866 5 років тому

    One thing I've found to work really well with Ciphers is only having half the cipher.
    Imagine that the thieves guild has their own cipher that they use to pass messages. Your PCs are working with the town guard to take them down. So far, they've managed to crack /some/ of the letters, probably the most commonly used ones, but they haven't unravelled the entire thing. If they had, the theives wouldn't use it anymore.
    So you give them the full sentence in the cipher, and when they translate it it comes out like:
    The _ing s_all be _illed at the ban_uet ne_t T_urs_ay
    Now the PCs have a /second/ puzzle, all for the same price.

  • @WallyDM
    @WallyDM 5 років тому

    Ummmm. That was fun and entertaining. I dig it... the video gave me a few puzzle ideas at different points that I may explore. Hidden codes? Well, one I always considered using at some point is the written message on the mirror trick (soap, I believe)... the characters would need to come by later and find something to produce steam to fog up the mirror and see the message. Great video!

  • @The_Custos
    @The_Custos 5 років тому +1

    The most clear message in floriography is black lotus... and many saves.

  • @Cyrusicus
    @Cyrusicus 5 років тому +12

    Florazoned

  • @bordenfleetwood5773
    @bordenfleetwood5773 5 років тому +1

    I'm currently finalizing a system of hieroglyphs that gnolls, wargs and goblins are using to communicate. Nothing like an alien mindset to through players for a loop.

  • @Ehnberg
    @Ehnberg 5 років тому

    This was a good one! I play ICRPG and as many know you normally hand out Milestones for epic play by the players and their characters. I like the idea of using small amounts of XP to able to earn an advancement.

  • @SteveTheNerd
    @SteveTheNerd 4 роки тому

    Don't forget the secret handheld fans in victorian times. They were supposedly used to communicate secret messages. Drawing the fan over once cheek meant "Im in love with you"... very nice for a banquet or soirée the characters attend...

  • @captainmanx5615
    @captainmanx5615 5 років тому +6

    Johnathan Lost seems like an entirely different person. Well acted, sir.
    I once solved a cryptogram for free shoes.

  • @marek011011
    @marek011011 5 років тому +1

    i'm totally stealing message spider. i'd make it that it dies after creating the message. it's enchanted with speed to make the message appear quickly, but that puts a train on the spider and kills it. they would be given as a message in a black polished wooden box tied with a silver string. one has to speak a magical word to "activate" the spider, otherwise it's just a regular arachnid

  • @TheSmart-CasualGamer
    @TheSmart-CasualGamer 2 роки тому +1

    With regards to Floriography, according to some sources, Basil represents hatred, due to some Greek belief.

  • @RitamBuchwald
    @RitamBuchwald 5 років тому +3

    I wish I knew about the milk thing back when I got bullied in highschool.

    • @jackielinde7568
      @jackielinde7568 5 років тому

      Why? Writing your entire D&D character sheet in milk isn't going to stop them from picking on you. They'll just find another reason. Now, if you have "religious parents" that believe everything short of breathing is satanic, that might work.

  • @Romanus7867
    @Romanus7867 3 роки тому

    The Harpers often have Clerics of Tymora as agents. So, I had one of my players use a coin code. Marks put on the coins would show the order and the letters/word. So, player could just deposit a donation to the Shrine that would contain a coded message

  • @lilywednesday
    @lilywednesday 12 днів тому

    8:50 this is my favorite of all of Guy's insane ramblings in an attempt to give an example off of the top of his head

  • @xBreaker666
    @xBreaker666 4 роки тому

    I love treespeak thanks for that one especially

  • @TriMarkC
    @TriMarkC 5 років тому +1

    The “Artemis Fowl” series by Eoin Colfer usually had a code or cipher printed on the side of most of the pages. If you deciphered these, they gave you clues. (artemisfowl.fandom.com/wiki/Artemis_Fowl_(novel))
    Someone created a font for this cipher language (artemisfowl.fandom.com/wiki/Gnommish). And it turns out, reprints used different codes in different countries they were published in.

  • @BerndXYCV
    @BerndXYCV 5 років тому +3

    My party is heading towards a dungeon filled with riddles and codes. I am thinking of including "simple" Hashfunctions (ofc with sufficient hints) in them. Every Letter has a number (or symbol) => A function transforms this number into another number => you have to turn the number (or symbol) back into a letter.
    The task is to figure out 1. what number or symbol is which letter and 2. the function.

  • @raphaelperry8159
    @raphaelperry8159 5 років тому +1

    "It is our raining not here also!"
    :D

  • @jackielinde7568
    @jackielinde7568 5 років тому +9

    Wait? You're saying I shouldn't be hitting my players with a broad sword every time they get struck in combat? Where's the fun in that?

  • @PokemonButcher
    @PokemonButcher 5 років тому

    5:06 "He's having a go at the flowers, now!"

  • @vitalijusmotikas4186
    @vitalijusmotikas4186 5 років тому

    Sea shells of different kind may be used in aquatic enviroment (as ghosts of saltmarsh alliance request should be hidden from certain individuals).
    And i think its essential to mention the messages used for blind people (forgot how its called). The magic world has blind creatures too ;)
    Morses code (sound, light, touch, stones, knots etc can deliver it)

  • @seaprince777
    @seaprince777 2 роки тому

    Wait - Lemon Juice on pancakes?! Color me intrigued-- gonna have to try that.

  • @RIVERSRPGChannel
    @RIVERSRPGChannel 5 років тому

    Haven’t tried this yet
    Good ideas

  • @SamuraiJACsr
    @SamuraiJACsr 5 років тому +3

    Another real world one is the way hiena ink and tattoos indicate status within community, and things about the person. Our how tattoos could mean your a pirate or a trator.
    Or how a thief might have their finger or arm chopped off.

  • @AITries
    @AITries 2 роки тому

    I died laughing at the intro joke.

  • @ryancarter6876
    @ryancarter6876 5 років тому

    Love that outro

  • @The_Custos
    @The_Custos 5 років тому

    Going to add these for rival adventuring groups and guilds, and see if the players crack it.

  • @Lykangroux
    @Lykangroux 5 років тому

    I enjoy the Cesar cypher, myself

  • @fhuber7507
    @fhuber7507 5 років тому +7

    I just use an alternate font that is unreadable

    • @jackielinde7568
      @jackielinde7568 5 років тому +4

      WINGDINGS! IT'S ALWAYS WINGDINGS! (Hehehe...)

    • @oz_jones
      @oz_jones 5 років тому +5

      Jack Linde sometimes it's webdings

  • @resilientfarmsanddesignstu1702

    Guy is such a funny guy. 😂

  • @R1vi
    @R1vi 5 років тому +6

    "The problem with secrets is there so secret" lol

  • @andrewmcgowan9376
    @andrewmcgowan9376 5 років тому +2

    could you talk about food and housing expenses. For example why would i pay for a room at the in if i have a tent or why one would pay for aristocratic food for 2gp rather then squalid for 3 cp

    • @fhuber7507
      @fhuber7507 5 років тому +3

      3 cp meal : wormy stale biscuits and strained broth.
      2gp meal: Prime Rib and caviar.

    • @jeremybarrett3616
      @jeremybarrett3616 5 років тому +2

      Well simply put
      1. A room in town is safer (less exposure to the elements,hostile creatures,etc) and also more convenient (is near all of the shops,services,possible patrons,etc). In town you will be subject to local laws but you will also likely be behind a protective wall with guards and lots of other benefits.
      Out of town you still have to deal with the law. But how it is enforced will be different. You will be at the mercy of the wilds not tamed by the local foresters;and also the many unsavoury characters around. Also it IS well within rights of locals to run vagrants off of their lands.
      2. Food quality is important for a number of reasons. Would you rather eat well and eat good food? Or would you rather eat nothing but moldy bread and scraps in leftover broth? What's more which is more likely to make you sick or have less care put into it? You pay for quality,taste and also your continued well being.
      Also most people don't go adventuring intent on eating stale hard tack soaked in water every day always. Leads to misery.
      How you portray this is up to you. But it adds alot to the roleplay.

    • @gnarthdarkanen7464
      @gnarthdarkanen7464 5 років тому +1

      Try to remember this is role play... It's a craft as much as a game or hobby, and as fictional and arbitrary as the Table might be run, you (as a Player) are still aspiring to ACT, not unlike in theater or a movie... portrayal has substance to add to the fun.
      Why would YOU personally, (IRL) not just pop into McD's EVERY SINGLE DAY of your life for about $2 worth of dollar-menu items, a day...
      Wouldn't you rather spend just a little more for something "substantial"??? Even just once in a while???
      There really ARE restaurants that make bank on $10-20 a plate, and they're not even "high end" in our (IRL) society.
      As to staying at the local inn versus a tent?
      Spend one week in a tent of your very own, and you'll never ask that question in your life again. Trust me...
      I'm not trying to be an ass, here. It's relatively simple. The "Spending Mechanics" of the game are there to indicate the value of quality as well as quantity. They keep the specifics of detail just a bit vague so a good GM can fill in some of those blanks. The general purposes, however, aren't so difficult to understand.
      SO yes, in town... say... at the inn, you'll be subject to any curfews, legal requirements, and whatever code of engagement there is between the inn-keeper (landlord) and the tenant(s)... In return, most inns at least offer something a bit more quality than shelter alone... but even that can be a BIG improvement.
      There's protection from wilderness, elements, criminals (usually), and generally a nearby presence of law enforcement to reckon with if "things go south"... ALL of which are usually improvements on sleeping in a primitive wood and fabric shelter in the woods... or even in the street (which is often illegal enough to earn a stay in jail).
      Tents can be a pain in the ass to set up, and older versions were often more difficult to get along with than the newer ones. Pup-tents are a VERY recent invention... among older variants was no more than a small diagram, about 50 feet of thin rope, and a large canvas with "eyelets" (grommets are a reasonable visual) around the edge. You had to FIND your own tent-poles or posts, often carving "freehand" to fit the purpose, and follow the diagram to lash and assemble the canvas over them. You needed to pick one of the "style types" of setup even before you took the canvas out of it's bundle... so you'd know how many posts and stakes you'd need to scour the countryside looking for. Once you'd gathered them, you COULD keep them, but it added to your bundle, and gave no particular advantage in the woods.
      Of course... in the desert, tundra, swamp, or plains (where there weren't resources for tent-poles and stakes so easily) that could be a very different problem.
      Some inns, hostels, and even occasional brothels that offered over-night or longer term stays, often had some "sales-pitch" services or gratuities to entice customers. In brothels, this was often the "obvious fare"... but hostels and inns might do everything from partnering WITH the nearest brothel or tavern to hiring an "in house" service to produce more effective results. "Room-service" could very well take on a myriad of meanings, depending on where you chose to stay, and may or may not prove worth the price paid to stay there.
      AND like Jeremy Barrett pointed out, it was often perfectly legal for landowners to rid themselves of "vagrants" or visitors. What he didn't point out, though, is that legally, it was often ENTIRELY up to the landowner as to exactly how to get rid of unwanted visitors...
      The concept that it could be illegal (for safety reasons?) to keep a bear-trap under a windowsill is also a pretty recent development.
      In fact, there was an "anti-poaching gun" developed around the early 1800's, where the gun itself (a spring-powered wheel lock) was set up on a swivel atop about a foot-tall post, with a trigger RING (not a lever) to which was tied three or four lengths of twine, spread out in various directions... A tug on any of the twines would swivel the gun around to point in the direction of that tug, and discharge it... dispatching who or whatever had stepped on or tripped over the twine.
      It might not have been so effective about preventing poachers (at least without serious enough losses anyway) BUT it likely didn't take too many to diminish nightly visits about anywhere... and it was (at least originally) completely legal to buy, own, and use. ;o)

    • @jackielinde7568
      @jackielinde7568 5 років тому

      Because sleeping in a tent is fun every once in a while and not every bloody day, especially with the weather along the Sword Coast.

  • @crosscharge5737
    @crosscharge5737 5 років тому +2

    Oh my god! First! This is the first time coming to learn about being a better GM and I end up first comment. Life is good.

  • @terinatum
    @terinatum 5 років тому

    Fascinating, thanks.

  • @Rajaat99
    @Rajaat99 3 роки тому

    I've done secret messages. Generally I just do ciphers, as I find them the easiest for me.

  • @jamesdoble7580
    @jamesdoble7580 5 років тому

    I have used codes they are fun

  • @robertabarnhart6240
    @robertabarnhart6240 2 роки тому

    That spider spinning a secret message in a web - does it happen to be named Charlotte?

  • @ДмитрийЗеленский-ж7х

    Twi'lek secret language is, afaik, indeed only introduced in Expanded Universe, not being part of George Lukas's own ideas (and then re-introduced by encyclopedias' authors after Disney decided to throw EU down the window...).

  • @Mr.Monster1984
    @Mr.Monster1984 4 роки тому

    you put lemmon juice on pancakes? we never do it here in Brazil.

  • @rateeightx
    @rateeightx 5 років тому

    I Have A Book On Cryptography, So I'm Going To Use That.

  • @pianotm
    @pianotm 4 роки тому

    "They're Drow! They don't care!"
    That's a personal attack, sir!
    EDIT: I love this idea!

    • @oz_jones
      @oz_jones 3 роки тому

      "yes, killing a manifestation of our literal goddess is ok"

  • @jamesrobertson7729
    @jamesrobertson7729 5 років тому

    You could use magic, like a potion of hair growth, to grow the hair back.

  • @TheOneTrueMaNicXs
    @TheOneTrueMaNicXs 5 років тому

    I cast mistaken missive ... wait did you need to read that?

  • @WilliamWilson_org
    @WilliamWilson_org 3 роки тому

    I like drinking milk with a little lemon.

  • @falonsherrard6004
    @falonsherrard6004 5 років тому

    I feel like one of your players really pissed you off and you took revenge on them.

  • @moosefishman180
    @moosefishman180 3 роки тому

    16:17 Not even if you WANT too?

  • @roarkegriffon5657
    @roarkegriffon5657 4 роки тому

    Onion juice also works.

  • @OsightblinderO
    @OsightblinderO 5 років тому

    Reasons to watch How to be a Great Game Master: Milk weapons.
    That is all.

  • @Desertpuma
    @Desertpuma 5 років тому

    Reminds me of this great scene from the film Sneakers: ua-cam.com/video/rUt7D4PnjxU/v-deo.html
    In short, you can use Scrabble to do anagrams to get the words hidden

  • @ryancarter6876
    @ryancarter6876 5 років тому

    Are you now liable for all the ruined paint on the hood of my car? Asking for 1k dic----divas.

  • @talonvictus44
    @talonvictus44 4 роки тому

    Sorry, lemon juice is for fish and whiskey sour.

  • @mincedmushroom7774
    @mincedmushroom7774 4 роки тому

    These puns are knot bad

  • @VndNvwYvvSvv
    @VndNvwYvvSvv 5 років тому +1

    Video starts 15 minutes in.