*Author’s note - It has come to my attention that some people have been offended by the header picture that originally appeared in this article. As the author, I am responsible for the art choices. Regardless of my feelings on the subject, Dump Stat recognizes that people may find it offensive and have removed it. We apologize, as that wasn’t the intent in choosing it.
Last week we talked about communication and how being able to talk to one another during your sessions is an essential part of the game. The ability to talk effectively can strengthen the bond between the players and characters alike, lead to more opportunities for interesting roleplay and, with a little luck, prevent the death of your beloved bard. But communication is only half the battle. You can talk till your blue in the face, but if you cannot come up with an effective solution to the problem at hand, the consequences can be dire.
Problem-solving is big business. Hundreds of books have been written on the subject for the business world, and you can hire anyone from a business consultant to a therapist to help you solve your problems. There are various ways you can go about figuring out potential solutions, and the strategies you use can determine victory or defeat. Since players have a hard time running away, defeat usually equals death.
So what are the effective strategies you can use from the real world in your game? Well, let’s touch on a few problem-solving techniques you can use in various situations that arise during your campaign. This is by no means a full and comprehensive list of all the strategies you have at your disposal, but they are the ones that I think will be of assistance. Combat is much more fast-paced than implementing a business plan, so you may not want to spend time creating a model of the problem at hand, especially if that problem is a dozen hook horrors.
Don’t Make Assumptions.
When dealing with the problem at hand, players often make assumptions about the issues they face. Meta-gamers are notorious for this. Is it just a coincidence that they decide to unsheath the silvered sword they never use against the wraith are to be attacking? Sure it is. A savvy DM can easily counter such offenses by homebrewing their own monsters the player knows nothing about.
There is one exception to this rule. Always assume that the chest in the middle of an empty room is a mimic.
Start with Good Questions
It’s best if you try to obtain information regarding the problem right from the start. Or, once you’re done breaking rule number one, it’s time to start asking questions. Using your turn to learn about the creature you’re fighting is well worth it. Knowing resistances and vulnerabilities is pretty important. Would you rather know a creature in resistance to slashing damage before or after you walk on up to it and swing away? I this we both know the answer to that one. It’s also important to take a second look around at your surroundings. Maybe there is terrain or objects that you can use to give you a tactical advantage. It also might be nice to see if the monster your fighter is alone or if their friends are lurking in the shadows.
Long story short, it never hurts to ask the DM if you can make a check to find out more information. I know your chomping at the bit to slaughter the poor creature, but you could be in for a world of hurt if the kobold you’ve decided to kill is just the advance scout for the horde that is trailing behind him.
Brainstorming
There are several ways to approach this. I’m going to focus on the two that I think are the most effective in most situations. One key thing to remember when brainstorming. Being an active participant means be clear and concise when talking about your ideas and listening to others when they are sharing theirs.
Round Robin Brain Storming - When players can sit, listen and hope that someone else will fix things for them, you need to try out this form of problem-solving. It’s a pretty straightforward method that requires everyone at the table to be actively involved in the brainstorming session. This is extremely important as you want to be able to hear everyone’s ideas. Follow these three simple rules, and you should be successful. First, players take turns contributing their ideas, and when they have nothing to add, they pass. Second, do not interrupt the person speaking. If they are droning on, one person should politely inject or otherwise let the speaker have their say. Finally, the brainstorming session is over once everyone passes. You can alter this if you find you’re spending too much time in this process by limiting it to two turns around the table.
Silent Brainstorming - The biggest issue with most brainstorming sessions is that the loudest players are the ones that usually get their ideas chosen. A normally quiet player at the table may have a fantastic idea on how to convince the king to set you free, but if they don’t interact you’ll never know. Often, these players feel like it’s more important to be active and involved than to have an awesome idea, so they never have a chance to share it.
If one or two people dominate the table, it could be time for a silent brainstorming session. Everyone takes a couple of minutes and writes down their ideas. This allows the entire party to come up with ideas quietly and independently. Then you go around the party and share their best ideas in a rapid-fire method. This way, everyone’s opinion has the same weight. Take a minute, come up with your best idea, then quickly go around the table and share.
We sometimes end our session right before we roll initiative, while others end at the start of downtime. Whatever the case, you now have plenty of time to brainstorm ideas. Throughout the week, we share our ideas on our private Discord channel about what we will do as individuals and/or as a party. We’ve found it very helpful, as people seem to feel even more comfortable sharing online.
Now you don’t want to spend too much time brainstorming, especially when you’re fighting a lich. There is only a limited amount of time you have each session, so make sure everyone is engaged. If you find yourself taking too much time during this process, set a time limit. Once it’s up, it’s time to make your plan.
One last note. Keep a shortlist of everyone’s ideas as you may need it later.
Make a Plan/Execute the Plan
Once you have identified the pros and cons of each solution, it’s time to make a plan. You’ve (hopefully) identified potential positive and negative consequences for each potential solution you’ve come up with. Now comes the hard part. Pick a solution. The simplest way to do this is to vote—majority rules.
Now it’s time to put your plan in motion. But what do you do if your plan goes to complete shit on you? Well, that’s where the list of ideas comes in handy. If your original plan hasn’t worked out, you can always try another solution from the list on the fly. It may not be as comprehensive as your first plan, and in fact, it will probably be pretty chaotic. But at least everyone will have a general idea of what you are trying to accomplish, even if it’s only trying to keep your glass cannon wizard alive.
Learn From Mistakes and Celebrate Accomplishments
It may not feel like it at the time, but you can learn more from your mistakes and your defeats. We all know that running in while screaming “Leeroy Jenkins” isn’t the smartest idea, but some people have to experience it at least once to figure that out. Even with the best-laid plans, you may not have considered all the ramifications of your approach. It could be that you didn’t take into account that you were low on healing. Maybe you remember a bit too late that you should always check for traps on doors and chests. Maybe the answer is a combination of parts from each of your ideas. By doing the work to figure out what didn’t work, you and the rest of the party will gain valuable insight that can be used in the future.
Just as important is acknowledging success. After you have emerged victorious from battle or solved whatever problem you were trying to tackle, take a minute to celebrate the win. You have earned the right to feel good with your success, and it will help strengthen the bond between the party members. When you work together, you'll realize that the party can solve problems, deal with complex issues, and be a successful team. It also gives you and your party the confidence to deal with whatever you may encounter next, even if it is a spelljammer full of gun-toting giff.
If you like our articles, love homebrew, and are looking for a fun and active community to talk about all things D&D, consider supporting us on Patreon. Below are some of the benefits we offer:
Access to our Homebrew Horde with over 300 items and counting!
Vote on upcoming Deep Deep topics
Monthly online one-shot adventures
Early access to Deep Dive and Rewind Articles
Even more Homebrew in our Magic Item Monday and Monster Thursday series
Exclusive audio from our new YouTube Deep Dive series
