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.
In March of 2020, we were getting ready to record our first episode of this podcast. We all got together in our planned recording space and cut the trailer. … Then COVID happened, and that entire plan went into the garbage along with concerts, vacations and sending kids to school. For some people, 2020 was a quarantine lockdown. For us, it was a year in the lab doing intensive DMing and podcasting. Here’s how it went, what we learned and our resolutions for gaming in 2021.
It’s been a good year for 3 Wise DMs, launching the new podcast and website. Thank you all for the support. We’re going to take a long winter’s nap for Christmas and New Year, but look for new podcasts and articles starting the first week of January 2021! We hope you all have a wonderful … Read more
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.
D&D Traps require the DM to walk a fine line. Balance them right, and your PCs will find themselves in a world of trouble that’s entirely their fault. But overdo it, or make traps too randomly deadly, and the party can slow to a crawl as they check for traps every 5 feet — cursing the DM the whole time. In this episode, Thorin, Tony and Dave talk about how they build hazards that up the mayhem and force layers to solve problems, without reducing traps to two rolls to avoid random death … at least not too often.
Our discussion around inclusivity, sensitivity and awareness of other-abled people at the game table, as well as using D&D in therapy, got me thinking about why we play TTRPG’s and what they teach us about ourselves and each other.
A few weeks ago, a listener asked how we manage players with special circumstances like autism and mental illness. Here’s what we’ve learned from gaming with players with special circumstances, and how D&D creates opportunities to express the things we can’t just say.
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.)
It’s one of the hardest things for any DM to handle: What do you do when the way you see the game and the way the players see the game is no longer in sync? This is no academic discussion. One of our own games is suffering from miscommunication, and it’s not fun. Can it be saved? Can yours if it’s starting to see some of these same issues?
What better way to celebrate the holidays than to give your friends the chance to save (or destroy) Christmas? But what makes a fun holiday-themed adventure? Here are my 7 rules for great Christmas games. With these in your back pocket, your players will look forward to your holiday game like it’s Christmas morning.
