Tony

How to End Your Campaign the Right Way

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Every story needs a proper ending, especially if it’s one of epic proportions. And few tales are as epic as an RPG campaign that reaches the end of its final story arc. Unfortunately, some endings are like The Sopranos, which left the audience thinking “WTF?!” for all the wrong reasons. Others feel rushed, forced or downright unsatisfying. After being on both sides of this equation, I would like to share some tips to prevent your story from tanking in the 11th hour and leave everyone glad they showed up for the final game.

Is the Game Interesting If the Players Always Win?

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In any game, just like in life, no one enjoys constantly losing. Most people would quickly get discouraged and want to move on to another game or stop playing such games at all. If the players always won, wouldn’t the reverse also be true? Instead of being frustrated with consistently losing, the players would start phoning in every scene and battle because the chance of defeat is less than zero. That’s why the risk of failure is just as important as the risk of death to a good TTRPG game.

The Case for the DMPC

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Understandably, many DMs and players feel strongly against adding a DMPC to the table. However, I am here to tell you that, if done correctly, this NPC could not only be valuable to the party dynamic but also provide the DM with unique perspective that you’d never get from the other side of the DM screen.

How to DM an Evil Campaign

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To help you to have a successful villainous campaign, I will provide four guidelines that have worked for me in the past. And trust me when I say they can make the difference between a party wiping each other out or creating their own evil pantheon. (And who wouldn’t want to do that?)

All-Star Games: A Time-Honored TTRPG Tradition

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While it’s great you have this epic story about a dark lord and his all-powerful ring, maybe your players want a break from that weeks-long march to Mount Doom? This gives you, the DM, an opportunity to introduce something known as an “All-Star Game”!

3 Reasons Players Leave Your Game – Revelations From a Year of Gaming

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Even Master Yoda and Obi-Wan lost students, and even the best DMs lose players. While there could be literally hundreds of reasons someone leaves a game, I would like to focus on the biggest and how you can hopefully avoid them.

3 Tips to Stop Wasting Game Time – Revelations From a Year of Gaming

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Even seasoned DMs can get lost spending their time in the wrong places, both prep time and at the game table. Here are 3 tips for managing yourself and your table to make sure game-related time is spent wisely.

PC Death Is a Necessary Evil – Revelations From a Year of Gaming

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There is no punch to the gut quite like losing a character you have been working on for the last 14 or more sessions. Having a craptastic year? Well, now your favorite character is dead too! But sometimes, it has to happen to keep the game real.

A Wise DM’s Guide to Homebrew Magic Items

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Custom magical items can add a sense of mystery to the game as well as your own style to the already strong framework of the existing 5E system. I suspect most DM’s and players are open to the idea of introducing non-canon magical items but have valid concerns surrounding these homebrews being labeled either broken or underwhelming. To help find a middle ground between the two, I would like to share four pieces of advice (or, rather. insane ramblings) on how to create custom magical equipment in your game without derailing both your party balance and the game itself.

3 Tips for RPG Villains Your Players Will Love to Hate

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Heroes are defined by their villains. But what really makes a villain worthy of such greatness? Here are 3 tips to help knock your villains out of the park! (Before your players literally knock them out of the park.)