One of the most rewarding experiences as a DM is watching the players at your table roleplay their way through the world you’ve created. Whether they’re laughing over a campfire, arguing over strategy, or carefully stepping into a haunted ruin, the joy of TTRPGs like D&D lies in the shared storytelling. It’s the players interacting with the world through their characters – and that’s where the magic happens.
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
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
Top Secret: New World Order. That’s right, for DM Dave’s Birthday Game (of which we are quickly becoming well-versed), DM Chris ran our gaming group through the update to the TSR classic espionage RPG, Top Secret from TSR, Inc. by Merle Rasmussen. In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down to review the system, … 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
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
It’s apropos that our first-ever players review of a campaign was for DM Tony’s Storm King’s Thunder campaign, as our newest iteration has us returning to the frozen world of the original giants in Mana Project Studios Journey to Ragnarok! We bring on return guests Scott (the Terrain Wrangler), Bonnie (the Chaos Engine) and our … Read more
