Dungeon Master Tips | Failing Forward
Recently I had the opportunity to attend an amazing event Called RPG Escape 2020, held here locally by The Adventure Game Store who are also the publishers of the awesome space exploring tabletop Game, Esper Genesis! (Which by the way is an amazing game that you should look into!) The event they held hosted some incredibly talented people who have had major success in the tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) industry. These guests came out sat down and answered a laundry list of questions presented. By those that attended. From there they broke off into smaller groups and ran some brainstorming sessions with those who attended. I must say that I had an absolute blast and look forward to returning next year! Does Failure Have To Be Failure But one thing that a fellow dungeon master brought up to the Panel that stuck out with me was the notion that in…
Dungeon Master Tips | Share The Spotlight
Running Games for Various Types of People There are all types of players who sit down at the table and as Dungeon Masters (DMs), it’s our job to try and figure out what they are looking for in a game and how to get them involved. The best way a DM can do this is by creating opportunities for players to roleplay or interact through their characters. And while some players have no issues with being thrust into the limelight others might struggle with it. Our social butterfly players can often be an awesome source of fun for everyone at the table. And seeing them get excited and want to explore everything you put in front of the group is definitely a huge ego boost. But when one or two players start stealing the show and everyone else is simply sitting on the sidelines waiting for combat, this might become…
Dungeon Master Tips | Session Notes
Very few things might be worse for a DM than forgetting what has been happening in their game! That’s why this week we are tackling Session notes as our next DM tip! Get your quills and paper ready because we are about to begin! Planning and Tracking Information Building a Homebrewed campaign world that is both effective and enjoyable requires a lot of planning and tracking of information. Many GMs create tons of detailed information about their game world including things like: Maps NPC names and backstories Unique Monsters And details about cities and the shops within Why Do I Need Session Notes Unfortunately, all that information can be hard to keep track of. Sometimes it is even forgotten between your various sessions. This is why session notes can really help. To be clear there is no wrong or right way to take your notes. But personally, I like to…
Dungeon Master Tips | Improv
Improv The focus of our subject today is possibly one of the most important skills a Dungeon Master needs, Improve. With that said, let’s dive right in! Being a Dungeon Master requires us to put on many hats, referee, a local NPC shop keeper, the big bad monster in the dungeon. But perhaps the most important role is story-teller. But being a story-teller in a D&D game isn’t as simple as creating one story arc and calling it quits. The biggest pull for players is being able to have the freedom of choosing their own path. Which is both awesome and the best part! Plan for the Unexpected But it also means that if you plan for the paths to the North and West, there is a chance that they might decide to head Southeast… I have found it is generally better to create various bullet points that I can…
Dungeon Master Tips | Combat
Combat D&D is a game where players balance roleplaying with combat. Some players love Roleplaying more while others prefer a game filled with hunting down monsters and defeating them in the name of coin or glory. Today our focus is on how to get more out of combat. Don’t Rush Fight Scenes As fun as it is to slay dragons, combat can quickly, if not managed properly bog down your sessions. After all D&D is the game where traveling a week can take seconds but 1 minute of combat can take hours. But this doesn’t mean that combat has to feel sluggish or like a roadblock to your story. DMs will often rush fights by doing stuff like this: EXAMPLE: “Okay John… uh you hit the monster, roll your damage… okay that’s 8 points of damage. James your next…” Don’t “rush” your fights even the ones that are random encounters. …
Dungeon Master Tips | Attention to Details
When you begin creating content for your DnD games it can often seem overwhelming. That is today we will focus on the topic, attention to detail. Attention To Detail As Dungeon Masters we are constantly trying to create the best content for our players. And sometimes we can go a little bit overboard trying to do all we can to achieve this goal! Of course, there is nothing wrong with that, but details whether too little or too much can leave your players feeling disconnected. My Discoveries I have found that for my general scenes giving a descriptive that includes simple but powerful elements such as smells allows my players to not only see my world but also let’s them see it in their own way. Working in design I have learned that no matter how well I describe something people will always see it through their own eyes. So,…