Last week, after a particularly disappointing D&D Club session at school, wherein none of the players for my game showed up, I noticed that there were quite a few students drifting between games as observers. They were happy enough but…

Hypothesis: the School RP Club needs an Open Table as per The Alexandrian’s manifesto.

Why would an Open Table be a great idea? As the The Alexandrian points out, a Dedicated Table is a big ask. At the school club, a Dedicated Table is also very tough. There are two such tables running, and one of the GM’s is extremely reliable. But…

There are also a large number of newbie players and experimenting passers-by who need a quick game. Sometimes, when the less reliable GMs can’t be there, you have players left hanging. Enter the Open Table.

An open table campaign is structured so that you can pick it up and play it with little or no prep.

This format was how the earliest D&D tables were set up and how most GMs ran their games for many of the early years of the hobby. It’s not an ideal structure for people (like me) who want a deep role-play experience, but it is a fun way to start.

In order to be successful, I believe an open table requires (or will greatly benefit from):

1. Quick Character Creation
2. Easy Access Systems
3. Open Group Formation
4. Default Goal
5. Default Action
6. Regenerative / Extensible Content

Experimental proposal: Might The Fantasy Trip (TFT) offer an easy-access, quick character creation for a Megadungeon open table?

I already own the big boxed set that was created several years ago now and although I monkeyed about with it a little, I’ve never set up a serious attempt to play. It’s a 3d6-based game and supposed to be simple to play or run.

This week, given that I have a half-term break, I intend to play around with the set. The plan is to first learn the rules, then build a dungeon, and take the game to the school club next Tuesday. It might help to blog my progress.

Here’s my pact for this experiment: I will run a TFT open table megadungeon at the school club for 6 weekly sessions.

Game on!