Playing a TTRPG is an incredibly subjective experience, almost like a Rorschach test. With this in mind, I wanted to shift our perspective from the system and edition wars that populate so many social media feeds to something much more basic: What makes a TTRPG in the first place and what could we learn from that to improve our enjoyment of all our games (instead of firing shots at someone else’s fun)?
How we lean in to the best of D&D 5E while adjusting and homebrewing its role-playing game mechanics to fit the campaign styles they run.
You campaign may be all about your player’s characters’ “adventures,” but designing and running specific, self-contained adventures is about more than just stringing a few encounters together. Here’s why it matters and 6 tips that will help you build adventures that are worthy of the name.
Role-playing games, at their heart, are all about adventure! But are the stories you’re telling and sessions you’re building really creating “an adventure” your players will enjoy? How do you build focused, engaging, self-contained quests that span 3-6 sessions (roughly) with a tight theme, clear goals, fun ways to achieve them, and satisfying rewards at the end?
We talked about some of our favorite monster combos in giving out “wisest” answers to the 7 Questions Dungeon Masters Ask. But we came away feeling like those barely scratched the surface. So I reached back to my InQuest Magazine days and went digging for monster combos like they were Magic cards. While I didn’t find any Channel-Fireballs, here are 9 monster combos for D&D 5E that will give your players a lot to think about.
How do you handle a TPK? How do you get players to do their homework? What are some good D&D 5E monster combos? From Facebook to Twitter to the 3WiseDMs.com website, these are the top Dungeon Master questions listeners have asked the wise guys at 3WD.
One of the most common assumptions in role-playing games is that the DM brings the story and the players play in it. But is that the way it should be? If the players are controlling the main characters in it, isn’t that, by definition, their story?
Whether you have an epic story to tell or just hope your new campaign survives week-to-week, mastering long-form storytelling is an essential part of being a Dungeon Master or game master in any game system. And it’s not easy. Listen to this week’s episode to hear how Thorin, Tony and Dave try (and sometimes fail) to tell stories that players remember in their different styles of games.
Whether it’s the first session of your campaign or the first session of your DMing career, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the big things you want to do and miss the little things that start your game off on the right foot. Here are 6 steps for prepping your first session that will bring the party together to kick some butt.
The encounter is the heartbeat of most D&D games, especially in 5E. Here’s how we work to make them fun in our games, and what we do when they go wrong.
