fbpx

DM Workshop

Sharing RPG Worlds: Balancing PC Power Levels and NPC Portrayals Across Shared Campaigns With Multiple DMs

by

Across the games we’re running and playing, we have several campaign worlds, NPCs, and PCs that cross over between DMs. Usually, this is no big deal, but sometimes what one DM does can unbalance what another DM is trying to do. In this episode, the 3 Wise DMs talk about where the conflicts arise, why they’re a problem, and how they’ve dealt with them so everyone can run the games they want but still dip into the other campaigns in a fun way.

8 Awesome D&D 5E Magical Items and 3 That Are Deadly to the Party and Campaign (Part 1 – A through H)

by

One criticism of 5E is that the magical items are lackluster compared to some previous editions. Well, in our opinion, 5E has a great deal of magical items that are nothing short of fantastic, but others don’t live up to their reputation or can even destroy your campaign. This is why we have composed a list of items that are worth the hype and others that prove all magic items definitely were not created equally. 

What Makes a ‘Bad’ Spell or Ability?

by

In our most recent episode, we talked about character builds and abilities that really tick us off. During that, I called Banishment a bad spell that was poorly designed, boring, and keeps the DM from being able to use a whole class of encounters. “Show us where on the doll Banishment hurt you,” you ask? OK, here’s how I decide if a spell or ability is broken and why I think this spell is bad game design.

9 Lessons Learned From Gaming in 2021

by

Greetings, gamers from all systems, places and timelines! During this year, we at 3WD had the pleasure of playing in multiple campaigns in several different systems. Throughout all of these epic moments, mistakes were made and lessons learned. These we have compiled here to not only help you refine your DMing but also to give you a heads up on some land mines you will want to stay clear of.

The True CR20 Strahd: Powering Up Your BBEG for the Epic Big Battle

by

5e’s Curse of Strahd contains a double entendre. While it seems as if the big bad Lord of Barovia is the curse that follows the players around, the deeper truth is that the curse is his own. He cannot leave. Barovia is his prison. Having just completed our run of this infamous adventure, I found an even deeper curse lying within the module: Strahd just isn’t powerful enough to handle the heat of the epic, final battle when the players are level appropriate and have recovered the artifacts.

Motivating Your Players: How Do You Get Your TTRPG Player Characters to Take the Hook and Get On With the Adventure?

by

We’re all at the gaming table for an adventure, right? But what about when your players don’t take the bait? In this episode, Thorin, Tony and Dave talk about what they’ve seen undercut PC motivation, how they get it back, and motivational tricks to use at lower and higher levels in your game.

It Takes a Village: 19 Tips for Building Towns and Cities for Your RPG Campaigns

by

What do you need to make a town or city for your RPG campaign? A place for your PCs to hang their hats and rest their weary feet? Stores and taverns for them to unload their loot and pick up new quests? We have warned you not to get caught up in building towns and cities before, but this time a listener asked what needs to be in them when you have to do it. The 3 Wise DMs came up with 19 tips to help you do it in pretty much any RPG.

6 Ways Google Docs Changed How I DM

by

Advances in technology are said to be the ultimate game-changers, and with gaming it’s no different. For me, that game-changer is Google Docs, which is free and solves so many issues I had prepping and running games. So, allow me to explain how this online word processor became an invaluable tool for how my games are both prepared and run. Because every DM has a limited amount of time to spend working on any given game, and this could help you use that time more effectively. 

Gods and Cheese: 5 Tips for Running RPG Deities, Demigods and Super-Powered NPCs

by

Every fantasy RPG setting has its share of super-powered beings worthy of legend. And as the DM, it can be extremely tempting to introduce one of these mighty beings directly in the game to establish a presence. But such an NPC can cause numerous problems that easily do more harm than good, even derailing your campaign. This is why we’ve composed these 5 tips on how to introduce and run extremely powerful NPCs without wrecking the continuity of your game.

RPG Weather, Puzzles and Ritual Challenges: 3 Ways to Make Your Campaign World More Immersive

by

We’re all looking for ways to make sure our players have fun, but also have new experiences in the game that make it feel more like characters living out a story and less like tabletop Diablo. Thorin, Tony and Dave dig into three messages asking about different ways to make your RPG world a bit less hack-n-slash and a bit more immersive with interesting puzzles, rituals, and weather mechanics.