Yesterday, I visited a blacksmith. He uses hand tools and traditional methods, and does both smithing and some woodworking.
I’m comparatively new to woodworking and utterly ignorant of blacksmithing, so I learned a lot talking to the guy. On the drive there and back, I listened to a podcast from a couple of craftsmen to get me in the mood.
One thing of many that stuck out was their (and the old-fashioned) approach to “perfection.”
See, not everything has to be machine-perfect, NASA standards, to the millionth of an degree accurate. Take a table that’s 200 years old and flip it over. The bottom won’t be polished and smooth. It’ll be rough and almost corrugated from hand plane marks. The bottom doesn’t need to be perfect or pretty. The top, the “show surface” does … and it is.
Same with our D&D games. It’s easy to spend a lot of time polishing something that never sees the light of day in a game. It’s so easy that it’s basically the meme of DMing.
Here’s something to think about as you prep for your next game: what’s your game’s “show surface”? The things that the players see every single session without fail? Polish that, and your game will get better.
Monsters of the Multiverse: Undead - Keith Ammann via The Monsters Know What They’re Doing
How to Motivate Your Players – Part II - Jonathan Hardin via RoleplayingTips.com
Now get out there and tell a story!
Peace,
Maximilian Hart
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