#setting expectations

[drdessertfox]

PSA: please do not go to the emergency department requesting an MRI for your joint sprain or strain. MRI is reserved for emergency conditions such as stroke, spinal cord impingement, etc. You will not receive an MRI in the ED to see if you tore your ACL. It is an outpatient imaging test.

Thank you and have a nice day

[katimorton]

It's holiday seasons, and we know the holidays come expectations! Expectations for how we're supposed to feel, how we're supposed to interact with family, what type of son, brother, sister, daughter, granddaughter, partner, sibling, etc we're supposed to be. In this video I talk through how to manage family expectations and create boundaries during the holiday. You may have toxic family members, Christmas stress, holiday family stress, or so many other things with going home for the holidays. Let's look at these expectations, how we should feel about family expectations and then how to create boundaries with family. 

My surviving the holiday playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_loxoCVsWqwHvhgnIH3_vg_t6ESwApdX

[stabbyapologist]

I am the chief critic; and nobody is harder on me than myself.

[riccardolll-blog]

How to Start a Campaign

Starting a campaign in D&D is one of the most challenging parts of any game.  Your players do not quite know who their characters are yet.  They don’t know anything about the other characters.  They are unfamiliar with the world.  They expect a story but often want to be dragged into it. etc.

How to resolve these issues?  Session 0.

Session Zero

Session 0 is the most important session you will have as a DM or player.  This is the session before you start your game.  Some general goals of this session include (but are not limited to):

Setting expectations for game play (DM & player)

Discussing the players’ hopes, key desires and goals for the campaign

Discussing DM’s key desires, goals, plans, proposed play styles, etc.

Settling any house or custom rules

Introducing the narrative world (as appropriate)

Character creation

Group bonding

Session scheduling

I will discuss a few of the above points over coming posts, starting with setting expectations.

Setting expectations

It is fundamental to the successful of a game for the DM and players all start on the same page.  This sounds really basic, but discussing the assumptions that each person is bringing to the table is crucial if everyone is going to enjoy playing.

Some suggested discussion points:

Expected behaviours when playing (e.g. sportsmanship, inclusive play, taking turns, listening, etc.)

How to give constructive feedback

Dispute resolution

Where you will play

How often you intend to play (and when)

Expected time commitment for preparation prior to sessions (DM & players)

Expected time commitment for playing each session (1 hour? 2 hours?  4 hours?  6 hours?)

Which rules you will be using (plus any house/custom rules)

The game’s genre (dungeon crawl, epic, mystery/intrigue...)

Expected level of player contribution to the world/story (100% sandbox, strongly DM narrative based, player choice matters...)

Campaign’s tone(s) (gritty, comedic, dramatic, surreal...)

Expected player emotional/intellectual involvement (i.e. whether the game will contain strong themes, touch on taboo subjects, present divisive ethical dilemmas...)

By having these discussions up front, any issues or concerns can be raised and discussed before you start playing.  This will save you time, angst and energy down the track. 

Obviously some of the things you discuss and agree may change over time, in which case it is a good idea (and highly recommended) that you organise to sit down with your group again to re-discuss and check-in with everyone playing.

All the best for your planning and playing.

[2tiedships2]

Dear lovely followers. Louis will always be my number one. But in a few short hours you are going to be spammed with Harry. Just putting that out there.

[tabletopbellhop]

You can watch our latest podcast episode on YouTube!

Great Expectations, where we talk about things we think publishers should do to better set player expectations.

We also talk about what we've been playing including first thoughts on Whoa There Cowboy! from Grandpa Beck's Games.

We wrap up with reviews of two games that totally met our expectations, Alhambra Family & Friends edition from Queen Games and Beer & Bread from Capstone Games

[saruvanthewhite]

Apple: “Hi! We’re calling to let you know the part that you requested to repair your phone has come in. Stop on by at your earliest convenience and will get right to it.”

Me: :stops by at earliest convenience:

also Apple: “Oh! As it turns out, it looks like our earliest possible turnaround time will be six hours from now. Sorry.”

-When I worked for Apple ages ago, we would have bent over backward to make good on an earlier promise, but that doesn’t seem to hold true today-

[coffeexandxangst]

I am not active on here-if you'd like to reach me, please use my AO3 account: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coffeexandxangst/profile