How I Learn a Game - Quick Guides
- Amber Marie
- Feb 15, 2020
- 2 min read
Recently, I posted some snaps on twitter of my bullet journal containing notes for Zweihander and during a podcast interview those notes were brought up in relation to game prep.
For my day job, I write instructions and spend a lot of time breaking down very complex concepts into directions a consumer can easily act upon.
If you've read my article series about character sheet design, you know I love, love, LOVE doing this and it completely affects how I approach learning ttrpgs and teaching how to play them.
When I sit down to digest a new game, I typically ask the following questions:
1. What is this game about?
2. What are the character playbooks about?
3. What should be the players' focus?
4. What can the characters do/stats?
5. What dice will be used?
6. What does success and failure look like/mean?
7. What are the main mechanics we'll be encountering/what's important to the game?
Not every game will be asked the same line of questions or in the same order but that list is generally what I'm after when I go to play or run a game.
Then because I'm incredibly extra, I tend to make a quick guide for a game. Usually just for me, but when I used to run a bunch of one shots, I would share it with new players.
Now this is something I did extra for people and I don't think it should never be expected of a GM to start providing learning materials for their players.
But I enjoyed doing it and if you're interested in what one of mine looks like, here's the Monsterhearts 2 Quick Guide I constructed to help new players understand what the game is all about.
I took artwork from the pdf and a lot of Avery Alder's rules text and rearranged it to fit my line of questions. This was only ever used for my one shot players. I love this game and it's one of my absolute favorites to run. Please do yourself a favor and pick up a copy.
Monsterhearts 2 Quick Guide
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Your approach to breaking down complex concepts into clear instructions is truly impressive! It’s fascinating how your skills in writing and simplifying information translate into TTRPG game prep. Your bullet journal notes for Zweihander must be an incredible resource for players and GMs alike. Just like in Btec Assignment writing, organizing information effectively makes a huge difference in understanding and execution. I’d love to hear more about how you structure your notes for game prep.