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
Greetings gamers from all systems, places, and timelines! As some of you may be aware, we at 3WD appreciate one-shot adventures and player birthday games. To which, we just completed a horror-style adventure in honor of a birthday in my all-girls campaign, which was inspired by Game of Thrones and Stranger Things – two of the … 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, 3WD-verse! DM Chris here. One of the cornerstones of DMing is preparation. In many ways, you’re the tour guide for your players in the campaign world, so you need an understanding deep enough that you can help them learn and discover it. You’re more than just a narrator – you’re the weaver of possibilities, … Read more
Possession. Dominate. Alignment shifts. There are a multitude of times where the rules make the DM take control of one of the player characters in the game. But, is that a good thing? In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down to discuss an issue that came up in DM Chris’ Tales of the … 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
