Player tips
So you have a character and you’ve read the rules. Now it’s time to start playing! The GM will
be running your adventures, telling you what you see and the outcomes of your actions. When
on your adventure it helps to remember these tips and you’ll be fine!
Be Creative
Often the answer to a problem will not be
obvious and sometimes may seem impossible.
In Thra, as in real life, there is very little that
you cannot work through by using your wits
and skills. This game does not have a set
number of actions you can take, but instead
lets you come up with many solutions to
your problems. So get creative and try think
outside the box.
Wait your turn
Each player says what they want to do when
they want to do it, and most of the time this
works. Sometimes shyer members of the
group may have trouble getting a word in.
After saying what you want to do, it might
be nice to ask your friends’ opinion and give
everyone else a chance to respond and help
out. Oh, and try not to interrupt another
player’s actions.
Failing is Fun!
Sometimes you will roll a one at the most
important time. Don’t feel down, because every
story needs a darkest hour. Sometimes you’ll be
unlucky, and if you keep failing, it may be time
to solve problems in a different way.
Death
It is possible that your soul will be returned
to Thra, but it does not mean the end of
your story… To fear death is to become like
a Skeksis.
Work Together
There are many difficulties that you will face
in Thra, and you can’t face them alone, but
together you can achieve anything. When
trying to solve problems, always think of your
friends and their abilities as much as your own.
It's not a Competition
Don’t worry about who is doing the best or
who is in charge, because if anyone is doing
well, you’re all doing well. The only winners of
this game are those who are having fun!
GM tips
The rules in the book show general case ways of dealing with most situations, but
in the adventure there will be a lot of situations that break these rules. Whenever there is a rules
conflict between the general rules and an adventure scene or a character trait, go by the rules of
the adventure scene or character trait.
Discretion
Many of the traits, gear, and scenes in this game
rely on the GM and players working together
to interpret an effect, for example the Alchemy
trait which allows players to
“double” the effect of a herb. Doubling the
effect of a herb is something that is up to you
it could mean simply doubling the uses of the
herb, or it could mean coming up with a new
more powerful version of the effect, don’t ever
be afraid to come up with a ruling.
Is there a Manual?
When Gelfling find gear, it is assumed that
they know what it does, and their player writes
it down onto their character sheet. Sometimes
it can be fun to withhold this information,
forcing a Gelfling to experiment, find
someone knowledgeable, or study the item
before working out what it does. How much
you want to do this is completely up to you as a
GM - try it out and see if you and your players
like the mystery.
You are their eyes
This one seems obvious at first but it can be
difficult to see exactly why it is important. You
will tell the players what their characters see,
smell, hear, where things are, and how NPCs
react. You are the only way that they will know
these things and it is imperative that you tell
them enough about the situation to answer
their questions. It may seem at times like the
players act irrationally or even a little foolishly.
These are your opportunities to ask them why
they are acting like that and either give them
information they were misunderstanding or
perhaps even find out that they are doing
something you hadn’t even thought of.
Games are Fun
Your goal as a group is to make your games as
entertaining as possible. This applies to all of
the players and you. If anybody isn’t having fun,
work out why that is and change it. Sometimes
that will mean changing or ignoring rules in
this book, and to that we say: GO FOR IT!
It may sound strange but we mean it: if a rule
isn’t helping you have fun then you should do
away with it, change it, or make up a new rule.
Combat is Dangerous
Thra is a dangerous place. Part of your job is
to get across the dangers of the world and to
reward out-of-the-box solutions. The party will
learn quickly that fighting is a risky endeavour (a
few rolls on those injury tables can sober up even
the most punch-drunk Stonewood warrior).
Violence is something to be planned for and
around, not as a catch-all solution to problems.
When fighting with sentient creatures,
surrender (of either side) is always an option.
When fighting non-darkened wildlife, they
will rarely chase a retreating party, especially if
they’re more dangerous than yummy.
Run with Mistakes
Mistakes happen. Try to roll with the mistakes
and make sure that they don’t interfere with
the game too much. Only in the most gamebreaking
scenarios should you ‘roll back’ what
happened.
Don't "Read Aloud"
Try not to read directly from the book. Instead
use it to inform you of what is going on and
then describe it to the players in your own
words, modifying the content as you please.
This allows you to get the information across
more easily and reinforces the fact that this is
your version of the Thra, not ours.
A Fan of the Players
It can be easy to think that this game has two
teams, the players and the GM. When you are
the GM you must not think of the players as
the enemy. Roleplaying is not a competition,
and the only winners are those having fun.
Put the players in situations where they will
shine, try not to shut them down. At the end
of the day, the best stories are those in which
the villain is thwarted and the heroes get to
cheer their victory at the end.
Make it up
There will be a point where you will be asked
a question that is not covered in this book.
What do you do? Make it up! It is always better
to keep the pace going than to make everyone
wait while you look up a small detail.
This book is filled with fantastic ideas, but we
are sure you have some fantastic ideas of your
own. When reading a scene feel free to use
some of it for inspiration or use it all as is.
Have Fun
Some groups get invested the story, others get
lost playing their characters, some enjoy the
problem solving and most groups are a mix
of these elements and more. Every group is
different and you are in a unique position to
tailor the game however your group likes.
