Movies. TV series. Books. Other DMs running games. There are a multitude of sources that provide fodder for our imagination in developing cool ideas that we want to play with in our own games. But how many ideas are TOO MANY ideas? Can you have too many ideas? In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave … Read more
Our last episode was the preamble. Last week’s article discussed some of what we learned from playing with new people. But, in this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down with the newest addition to our gaming group, Elizabeth, to delve deep into what went into running the Call of Cthulhu one-shot, playing with brand … Read more
An artist friend of mine often remarked, “People ask me how I paint really good bricks. I tell them to go home and paint one thousand bricks.” Like it is for all disciplines and hobbies, mastery comes from repetition. But, repetition by itself is not enough, especially in collaborative hobbies, like TTRPGs, tabletop wargaming, and … Read more
You’ve been the DM for a long time (maybe even Forever!) and one of your players has finally said those magic words: “I think I wanna run a game.” So, with all your wisdom, all your experience, all your skills – how do you help the new DM along in the game so that they … Read more
Greetings gamers from all systems, places and timelines! For DM Dave’s birthday game (which, yes, is one of our trademarks), we broke out the Top Secret: New World Order system. We took on the role of a spy on their first mission, just like any other 1st-level party. But instead of trying to clear out … Read more
Greetings gamers from all systems, places and timelines! Five years ago, the concept of having AI run a D&D, or any TTRPG, for a player would have sounded about as much of a fantasy as the game itself. And I know that some of you genuinely believe that entertaining this is making the world a … Read more
Artificial Intelligence is a polarizing topic these days. From Skynet-style flights of fancy to the very real implications for content creators, it’s an evolving technology that isn’t going away anytime soon. But free from worrying about profiting off of others’ work, using AI at the game table can help provide you with a set of … Read more
Back in September of 2022, I wrote an article that asked the question, “Does what you’re currently running still feel fresh and fun? Are your players as invested in it as they were in the beginning? Does something feel missing? Are you burning out?” In it, I discussed how we had transitioned in the all-girl’s … Read more
Terrain. Maps. Minis. Music. Handouts. TTRPGs aren’t movies and television and we can’t rely on moving pictures to help immerse our players, so what are some ways that you can help the imagination Build This City in your players’ minds? In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down to revisit our discussion with The … Read more
Greetings, 3WD-verse! DM Chris here. While working on the magical treasure index for our new Lord of the Rings Roleplaying campaign, I was reminded of an idea I’d used for my earlier Tomb of Annihilation campaign. Balancing between rewarding your players while still keeping magic items meaningful and special can be a bit of a … Read more
