Campaign Inspiration

Finish Your Homebrew D&D Campaign With a Bang: DMs’ Breakdown of the Epic Ending of the Woodstock Wanderers

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Like Thanos said, in a homebrew campaign, reality can be whatever you want it to be.

We realize that reviewing a homebrew campaign is different from Curse of Strahd or Storm King’s Thunder – after all, you can’t go pick up the contents of Thorin’s head at the bookstore. But everyone should try their hand at homebrew at one point or another, and this episode is choc full of tips and feedback for creative DMs everywhere. That includes frank discussion of what worked, what didn’t, our biggest challenges (looking at you, Roll20), where the world seemed too shallow, and what was most interesting in this long-running homebrew D&D campaign. We hope it helps you craft even better games for your table.

3WD’s 2 Tips for Playing God With Epic Boons in Your D&D 5e Campaign (With Free Examples!)

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Gods or powerful spirits bestowing extraordinary powers to heroes has been an effective formula in countless stories. This also provides opportunities in TTRPGs as well by providing unique and interesting ways to reward the players. This should not only add a shot of flavor to your overall game but increase the investment your players have in their characters. 

Creating Fantastic RPG Factions: How to Use Groups, Guilds, Criminals, Guards, and More Organizations in Your TTRPG Campaigns

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Every good RPG campaign — Dungeons and Dragons 5E or any other system — has multiple factions for PCs to interact with. How do you build them out?

The 6 Best Dungeons and Dragons and RPG Campaign Worlds According to the 3 Wise DMs

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The world you set your campaign in has just as much impact on the tone, story and overall fun of your game as the players you choose to play in it. But which campaign worlds are the best, most fun, and most inspiring? On that, the 3 Wise DMs each have their own ideas. So this article breaks down our 6 favorite campaign worlds, 2 per DM, and why we love them. It’s a lot of Dungeons and Dragons material, but not all of it.

A Dark Sun Rising: The Allure and Compromises of Using Pre-Made Dungeons and Dragons Settings

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There are a lot of pros and cons for using boxed settings and creating your own settings, and the 3 Wise DMs dabble in both in their own ways. Here’s what Thorin, Tony and Dave think of using pre-made settings, what makes a good setting, how they make them their own and how they pull elements of existing settings into their homebrew settings, too.

Signature Magic Items: What They Are, How to Run Them, and Why You Should Put Them in Your RPG Campaigns

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The Master Sword, essentially a signature magic item.

They say a hero is only as good as their weapon, which may not be true but if you’re Thor, She-Ra, Drizzt Do’urden, or Trevor Belmont, but it gives them one hell of an edge.  Not to say that their amazing magic weapons or objects of badassery define them as characters, but they definitely add to their personas. The same concept can apply to D&D characters.

Putting PCs In Charge: How Do You Handle RPG Players Characters Moving Up to Become Kings, Queens and Leaders of Powerful Organizations In Your World?

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Many RPG campaigns end with the players taking over kingdoms, wizard colleges, crime syndicates or other powerful organizations in the world as a sort of epilogue. But what about when they want to take these titles during the campaign and actively run their new empires? How do you handle putting your player characters in charge of powerful organizations in your world as an active part of the game?

No Rest for the Weary: How the Rest Cadence of D&D 5E Can Completely Change Your Game

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Rest! In some D&D 5E campaigns, it’s taken for granted. In others, like Tomb of Annihilation, PCs may have to make their HP and long-rest abilities stretch for days. And like in real life, sleep deprivation changes the game! How can the DM use all of these nuances to their advantage to tortu… er, have fun with the players? Thorin, Tony and Dave discuss all that and more in this episode of 3 Wise DMs.

7 Ways to Make Monsters Interesting for Both New Players and Veterans

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When we did our podcast about how to play iconic monsters, it was suggested that D&D-specific creatures are like celebrities. However, just like anything, if it gets too much exposure, it can get staler than some of my jokes. That’s a concern when the same creatures get too much airtime over the course of one or more campaigns. And while there is nothing wrong with getting into the deep cuts of the monster list, there are other options. This is why we’ve put together a list of ways to make monsters more interesting for new and seasoned players alike.

The Sinister 7: How to Run 7 Iconic D&D Monsters for Maximum Mystique

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Dungeons & Dragons is a lot more than just dungeons and dragons. The game is full of iconic monsters with unique legends and mystique, some pulled from mythology and others found only in this game. But from D&D, many of these monsters have become pop culture icons with stories and expectations that have taken on a life of their own. Here are seven of the most iconic monsters in D&D and how Thorin, Tony and Dave get the most out of them in their campaigns.