Sharing RPG Worlds: Balancing PC Power Levels and NPC Portrayals Across Shared Campaigns With Multiple DMs

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Across the games we’re running and playing, we have several campaign worlds, NPCs, and PCs that cross over between DMs. Usually, this is no big deal, but sometimes what one DM does can unbalance what another DM is trying to do. In this episode, the 3 Wise DMs talk about where the conflicts arise, why they’re a problem, and how they’ve dealt with them so everyone can run the games they want but still dip into the other campaigns in a fun way.

8 Awesome D&D 5E Magical Items and 3 That Are Deadly to the Party and Campaign (Part 1 – A through H)

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One criticism of 5E is that the magical items are lackluster compared to some previous editions. Well, in our opinion, 5E has a great deal of magical items that are nothing short of fantastic, but others don’t live up to their reputation or can even destroy your campaign. This is why we have composed a list of items that are worth the hype and others that prove all magic items definitely were not created equally. 

Does D&D 5E Need Character Levels? Radical (Heretical?) Ideas About Dungeons & Dragons PC Advancement

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Leveling up! It’s synonymous with D&D and one of the game’s biggest contributions to gaming culture. The very idea of gaining a level has become a staple of RPG video games, board games, and even most (but not all, as we’ll discuss) Tabletop Roleplaying Games. But is it the best way to handle character advancement in D&D 5th Edition?

What Makes a ‘Bad’ Spell or Ability?

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In our most recent episode, we talked about character builds and abilities that really tick us off. During that, I called Banishment a bad spell that was poorly designed, boring, and keeps the DM from being able to use a whole class of encounters. “Show us where on the doll Banishment hurt you,” you ask? OK, here’s how I decide if a spell or ability is broken and why I think this spell is bad game design.

How to DM D&D Character Builds and Abilities That Piss You Off

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It’s OK to have a PC build that pisses you off. Whether it’s because they’re unkillable, unhittable, undetectable, unsurvivable, or, like our listener question this week, they passively perceive absolutely frickin’ everything! In this episode, Thorin, Tony and Dave talk about how to handle builds that piss you off or at least challenge you as a DM. Along the way, they talk about builds, abilities and spells they’ve struggled with and how you can handle the situation without ruining the game for yourself or any of your players.

7 Ways to Make Treasure More Rewarding in Your RPG Campaign

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One of the eternal struggles a DM must constantly manage is to what extent they reward their players. This is why we put together seven tips to help you navigate giving out rewards within your games. Make these a part of your game, and your players should feel both rewarded and motivated without dripping in treasure by the end of every session. 

How Hard Is Too Hard for Your RPG Campaign and Players?

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Balance can be the trickiest thing to strike in any RPG campaign. On the one hand, the DM is running monsters and villains who are literally plotting the PC’s destruction. A game that’s not challenging is unrewarding. On the other, a game that gets too hard can frustrate your players right out of wanting to play it. So where is the balance? How hard is too hard for your style of game and your players?

9 Lessons Learned From Gaming in 2021

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Greetings, gamers from all systems, places and timelines! During this year, we at 3WD had the pleasure of playing in multiple campaigns in several different systems. Throughout all of these epic moments, mistakes were made and lessons learned. These we have compiled here to not only help you refine your DMing but also to give you a heads up on some land mines you will want to stay clear of.

Characters Over Combat: What We Learned From Gaming in 2021

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Happy New Year! It’s a new year for new games or just continuing the ones you already love. But before we look forward to 2022, it’s important to look back at what we learned from gaming in 2021. In this episode, Thorin, Tony and Dave talk about everything they learned throughout 2021, how it’s changed the way they play, and what they’re planning for 2022.

Happy Holidays From 3 Wise DMs!

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We all hope you’re having a great holiday and your games are going great! For the 3 Wise DMs, we are enjoying a little downtime with our friends and families. So, if you don’t see an episode on Sunday, December 26, or an article on the following Wednesday, it’s not because you failed a perception check. We’re simply settling down for a long winter’s nap. Check back on January 2, 2022, for our first post of the new year!