fbpx

Quick and Dirty D&D Mass Battle Rules Even Non-Gamers Can Understand

by

One of the hardest things for me about higher-level play in D&D is that, inevitably, we’re going to war. At that point, either I need to present the war as a bunch of solo, special-forces vignettes – which is an OK approach, but misses something for me – or a bunch of players who never had much interest in wargames are going to have to grasp a unit-level wargaming system. So over the years, I’ve come up with a quick and dirty way to put player characters in charge of units in a way that isn’t too far removed from regular D&D play. We just had one of these sessions, and the players all grokked it easily and said they enjoyed it. Here’s what we did.

Does D&D Magic Item Attunement Crimp Your DM Style?

by

Do the magic item attunement rules and limits make D&D 5E a better game or just add a layer of frustration? When we started playing 5E, we actually ignored attunement. Now, we’ve started using it across all of our campaigns to understand how the game is meant to be played. … And we have some concerns. In this episode, Thorin, Tony and Dave talk about attunement, magic items in older editions, and the role these tools play in their games.

The Attunement Rule: If It’s Necessary, Then Why Is It So Disliked and How Could It Be Handled Differently

by

One of the hallmarks of playing in a D&D game is it’s trademark magic-rich environment. However, there are games such as Diablo and Skyrim that offer a similar experience, allowing you to explore the world, face powerful enemies and collect magic equipment like Pokémon. And while these games are similar, one stark difference between D&D 5E and the above-mentioned games is the limitations with magical item attunement, toward which there are a great deal of mixed feelings both for and against it.

The Fetch Quest: Are They Fun? Are They Worth It? Are They Just Filler for the Big Story?

by

Sometimes your players want something, or you want to give them something, that would be kind of lame to just leave lying around. After all, The Awesome Staff of Mega Power probably deserves its own quest to find. But how long should that quest be? And how do you keep the other players personally involved so they don’t get bored?

Should I Run or Play in a Solo Game? 8 Pros and Cons to Help You Decide

by

If you’ve never run or played in a solo game of D&D or some different system, then you’ve missed out on an interesting experience – even if, admittedly, one of the cornerstones of the game is built on collaborative roleplay. And, while  solo adventure can be extremely fun, it’s definitely not for all players or DMs for a single session, let alone an actual campaign. This is why we composed a list of pros and cons to help you decide if a solo game is something you would like to introduce or request from your DM.

Getting the “Face” Player to Shut Up and Let Other Players Share the Spotlight

by

Some players are more assertive than others, as every DM quickly learns. Some players sit quietly waiting for their turn to speak, while the “Face,” like his A-Team counterpart, never misses a chance to go to town. Before you know it, the party is down another rabbit hole or skipping through a  conversation without anyone else getting a chance to participate.

Or, as this week’s listener question asks: “How do you get the “Face” to STFU?

In this episode, Thorin, Tony and Dave talk about how they handle the more dominant role players in their groups (especially when it’s one of them) and the tricks they use to make sure everyone gets to roleplay the way they want to.

8 Tips to Improve Your Game With Better Turn Control for Both Players and DMs 

by

One of the hallmarks of D&D is its structured turn-based system. And while this has advantages, it is not without its downsides – such as how a single combat can suck up more of the session than everyone trying to decide what they want for game night dinner. This is why we’ve composed a list of 8 tips that will make turns, rounds, scenes and scenarios run smoother without the DM or players feeling rushed. 

9 Alternate D&D Rules to Try: Our Favorite Optional Mechanics From the DMG, Homebrew and Other Games

by

Vanilla Dungeons & Dragons 5E is a fine game, but depending on the atmosphere you want to set and the possibilities of your setting, there are a lot of alternate rules that can bring your game to the next level. The D&D 5E Dungeon Masters Guide has some great optional rules you can use to bring different genres of games to life by playing up things like honor and horror. Beyond D&D itself, a lot of other games use mechanics that are worth porting in to create certain effects in your campaign world. Your own unique homebrew mechanics can be even more powerful tools for bringing your setting more to life. In this episode, Thorin, Tony and Dave talk about their favorite optional rules, how to use them and when.

Learning From the Legend: 3 Lessons The Legend of Vox Machina Reveals About DMing Your Best D&D Game

by

I’ve made no secret of the inspiration and enjoyment I get from being a fan of Critical Role, the D&D live-play stream that has taken the TTRPG world by storm. Now in its third season, the show’s creators unveiled the much-anticipated animated series on Amazon Prime, The Legend of Vox Machina, dramatizing (or comedyizing?) some of the adventures in their first season. There are things to learn about ways to improve our games from these types of creators.

How to Handle a Backseat DM: 11 Things to Know

by

Why won’t the experienced DM playing in your game back off and let you run it? A backseat DM can be a frustrating experience and force some difficult conversations — but having an experienced DM on the player side of the table to help lookup rulings and encourage the other players can also be a really beneficial asset in your game. How do you leverage that DM player as a good assistant and not let them become your worst critic?