Pack A Knapsack!
Running an Open Table of Cloud Empress has taught me a lot. It's my third time running a hexcrawl, my first time running an open table, and my first campaign with, what I hope, will be a satisfying end.
When I ran my first hexcrawl a few years ago, I scoured the internet for the right combination of tools, tables, and procedures to capture exactly what I wanted my open table to be. I found myself overwhelmed and confused. With all the tools, toolboxes, and tables at my disposal, when did I use them and how? Was I stripping out too much of the narrative fun for table rolls? Did these procedures work cohesively together, or did I just think they were neat and forced them here anyway?
Some experience later and a discovery of processes that work for me, I'm extrapolating it out into Pack A Knapsack (PAK). This is stuff you always need when hiking (or running a campaign), and there's some expectation of how and when to use them by nature of what they are. I'll share what I used for my Cloud Empress table as a jumping off point for you to pack your own Knapsack!
What to Pack
First Aid Kit
We don't want to bring out the First Aid Kit on our travels, but we need it, no matter what. Before you set out on your hike, you need to ensure you've restocked your first aid kit with items that haven't expired or gone bad. Safety Tools are similar. They're an important component in games, especially ones with a rotating cast of characters.
Whether it's the Palette Grid, Lines and Veils, or X-Card, you need to know what's OK for your players. Conversely, your players need to know what's OK for you as a GM. I used the Digital RPG Consent Checklist for my table, having players fill it out anonymously. After all players filled it out, I compiled all the yellow and red flags to share with players, so everyone operated in the same general game space and rating.
Multi-Tool
The multi-tool represents all the tables you roll on throughout play. Encounter, Weather, etc. You need it for very specific situations but not all the time. Still, you can't imagine traveling without it! Here's what I used at the CE table:
- CE Weather
- CE Regional Encounter
- CE NPC Morale
- CE NPC Attitude
- Terrain Affinity, a tool I created to reward PCs visiting the same hex multiple times
Map
A map can tell you where the trail leads, notes trailheads, and where are good places to camp. This is synonymous with a Player's Aid or GM References. Those one or two page (ideally) handouts for understanding the mechanics, what players can do. This is the a reminder of the non-diegetic things you and the PCs can do to impact the world (diegetic space). Diegesis has been on the brain a lot recently. Revel or suffer with me.
For my table, I used the following:
- CE Player's Aid
- Fan-made CE GM Reference Sheet
While Hiking
Food
This is the diegetic space of an open table where players come together to feast on a collaboratively created narrative. Food with friends 'round the fire can create a multitude of atmospheres and tones. Everyone contributes something.
- Allow players to shape cultural norms, procedures, etc. in the world alongside the GM
- GM deciding how specific entities behave. If a setting is unclear on how a creature, or person, behaves, it's up to you. This is one of the coolest parts of running a large setting like this. You and your table are going to shape how the world behaves and what people believe. For example, in the Valley region of the Lowland Wastes, I turned the armorers into Sporesmiths where creating and bonding the living armor Sliplanders wear is a comprehensive process that players can engage with.
Headlamp
A headlamp telegraphs the terrain you're about to step on. The same should be done for your players. Be clear about player risk and set the stakes accordingly. This is one I sometimes still struggle with myself, but the more you practice and remember to do it, the easier it is.
Bonus: Changing the batteries on the headlamp means adjusting how you telegraph danger and information based on the type of game you're playing.
At my table, I try to keep these things in mind:
- Use narrative elements to convey how creatures and NPCs are reacting in conversation.
- In combat, be direct about how opposing forces will respond to PCs actions.
Rain Jacket
Sometimes the energy brought to the table isn't always working out. Check in and find out why. Protect yourself and protect your players! Maybe the group needs a casual beach adventure, or maybe they want to delve into a creepy dungeon. Whatever the vibe is, you need to know.
- Ask PCs what their goals are today. What are they interested in exploring?
- I'm planning to incorporate a Stars and Wishes kind of system as a downtime via text option, so we'll see how it goes!
Compass
A campaign often has a big picture goal attached to it. In trying to run more mini-campaigns, I've found that an overall arching goal for the party helps move them forward, especially if you're doing a crawl of any kind. There's a lot in any setting whether it's something you've made yourself, or it's a premade you're excited about getting to the table. In a mini-campaign, you won't cover everything, and in a hexcrawl, you also probably won't hit every hex. Maybe you do! What do I know. I wanted something a bit directed that narratively worked with the premise of my open table, so I created an expedition.
The expedition, or caravan, is something all the PCs are members of. The campaign essentially ends once the caravan reaches its destination. It travels slower than PCs and camps, depending on the weather. PCs were provided the expected travel path of the caravan, but that's it. They don't know when it will camp or for how long. The PCs must collect 4 relics to bring as a gift for Spring's Kiss festival (a CE celebration). PCs aren't required to return to "home base" after each session, but rather if PCs are in the middle of something like a dungeon, play continues there regardless of who was in the dungeon previously due to the CE lore of The Slip. These are wonky spots in the world where time and space are bizarre and disorienting. There's no mechanical consequence of this, but there could be! I don't want to railroad my players into being with the caravan at the end of each session, because I want them to explore the space, so it's all flavor for now.
The only mechanical component the caravan has is that if players do end up resting where the caravan is, they'll get a couple of bonuses. These are the following:
- No provision required on next day start
- Reduce 1 extra stress on rest
Bonus: The caravan group helped shape the identity of my table as I asked every player 1 question about the caravan, so the group represents the table identity in CE which is awesome.
Resting
Downtime
Whether it's hiking or tabletop, downtime is nice. When hiking, you're playing cards (maybe even tabletop), and with tabletop, your character is exploring at their own pace, honing their skills, furthering personal goals, etc. With any type of group, I've found that text-based downtime procedures have been the most effective. It doesn't slow sessions down, it gives PCs character development, and it allows the GM, at a reduced pace, to plot and plan future obstacles/goals/discoveries for that specific PC.
At the CE table, it looks like this:
- Players can do work in town for provisions, common goods, etc.
- Players can start or expand on personal goals through roleplay. This can be flavor or generate leads for PCs.
Campfire
Each night camping, or after each session, stories will be shared around a campfire about the experience like session recaps. Reward players for these! I tell players that a session recap takes many forms. I accept art, poetry, etc. Lore as Loot was requested at my table, which I happily obliged. In my CE table, they can get one of the following:
- 1/4 stick of chalk (this is what you need to cast magic in CE)
- A new rumor
- A single yes/no question about something they already know
Conclusion
This isn't limited to an open table by any means. My use case was for an open table, but I think this would translate well to a campaign. I didn't want to call it a DM Toolbox, though it has some similarities. Rather, I want the PAK to be a guiding tool for new and experienced GMs to have as a wrapper for all the tools, tables, and procedures we're always grabbing to chuck into our pack.
What's your knapsack look like? Share on Discord or over on BlueSky (@Bakenshake)!