What’s Fun for the Dungeon Master?
The D&D dungeon master is expected to be the storyteller, referee, manager, entertainer and more. But is that stuff any fun? And what do you do when it isn’t?
DM Workshop
The 8 D&D Player Types and How to DM Them
We revisit the eight player types, how we relate to different types of players (sometimes poorly), and strategies to bring out the best in your party and yourself.
10 Do’s and Don’ts for DMing Power Gamers
Here are 10 do’s and don’ts for DMing power gamers that will let everyone – including you and the power gamer – show off and have fun.
What Makes Good Players and Problem Players for a DM?
Thorin, Tony and Dave reveal their player-DM relationship struggles, what makes good/problem players, setting your XP pace, and what to do when players turn on each other.
Your Campaign Isn’t Broken: Recovering From a TPK
So you killed the party? Or you overpowered the party? Or they killed something they shouldn’t have? Or they ruined your story? Campaigns broke, and it’s time to restart! … But is it? In this series, we’ll look at different ways to save campaigns you might think are broken, and we’re starting off with the first campaign killer new DMs run into: The Total Party Kill (TPK).
Our Biggest DM Mistakes and What We Learned From Them
From accidental party kills to evil campaigns that went … well, evil … we’re only Wise DMs because we’ve made all the mistakes more times than we care to remember. What happened, what did we do about it, and what do we wish we’d done differently? We get into all the details and what we’ve learned from them.
Skills, Saves, the Impossible and the Rule of Cool
What do you do when the game rules clash with the continuity of your world? Lean into them.
Rules vs. Continuity: Managing the Verisimilitude of Your Game
The 3 Wise DMs talk about their own problems with continuity and verisimilitude, when it becomes a problem, and how they manage those issues and the players they effect.
Never Let the Dice Run Your Game
When we swap stories of games that went wrong, they usually have one thing in common: The players missed (possibly incinerated) an important detail. Which raises one really important DMing question: Why was it so easy to miss (or destroy) that detail? If your plot was ruined by a die roll, you have DMed poorly. … Read more
D&D Kit-Bashing: 3 steps to utilizing published material in your homebrew world
DM Tony and I have had several wonderfully reminiscent conversations about the great TTRPG that TSR produced in 1984 at the height of D&D’s popularity – entitled, Marvel Super Heroes (MSHRPG). We’ll dive deeper into the eponymous FASERIP system in future episodes and articles (maybe even a 3WD One-Shot!), but I’m bringing attention to this … Read more