Summer Camp DnD: DM Stuff

Continuing our romp through 1980 from yesterday.

Mechanics of Play

The only die that can be rolled is the aforementioned single six-sided. All other “rolls” must be done with those damned Holmes-set chits--preferably drawn out of Star Wars dixie cups. When players lose enough of the chits—or merely get sick of using your crappy system—then all remaining adjudications will be done diceless in the following manner.

Summer Camp DnD eschews all such mechanical niceties as saving throws and other written rules. Situations are instead adjudicated through “negotiations” (i.e. escalating arguments).

Example One: Real-Life as a Measuring Stick

DM: A 10 foot-wide pit bars your way into Castle Thunderballs.

Player: I jump across it.

DM (with skeptical note in voice): How far can you jump in real life?

Player: 12 feet.

Who needs dice?

DM: No @$&# way, dude.

Player: Uh-hunh.

DM: Show me.

[Kids exit stage right to camp track. Player does running jump.]

DM: That's like six feet, you fall in the pit.

Player: But like I have a 11 strength in real life and my character has an 18.

DM: FINE. You make it across.

Example Two: Things that Happened in a Movie or TV Show

DM: Ok, so you are in the dungeon trash compactor and like the walls are moving in slowly to crush you.

Player: In Star Wars they used a metal pole between the walls and it stopped it for a bit. We do that.

DM: Ok, so you stop for it a bit. In Star Wars there's also a monster in there too. It attacks you.

Player: No way!

DM: Way!

Player: FINE. I attack it with my nun-chucks.

Example Three: What Would Han Solo Do?

Self-explanatory.

Next up, Summer Camp DnD: Dungeon Design.