DMing Large Groups: 19 Tips for Running Games With 6 or More Players
Most TTRPGs, including D&D 5E, run best with 3-5 players. How can you run them smoothly with 6, 8 or even 10 PCs? Here’s how the 3 Wise DMs handle it.
Player Management
3 Tips to Stop Wasting Game Time – Revelations From a Year of Gaming
Even seasoned DMs can get lost spending their time in the wrong places, both prep time and at the game table. Here are 3 tips for managing yourself and your table to make sure game-related time is spent wisely.
PC Death Is a Necessary Evil – Revelations From a Year of Gaming
There is no punch to the gut quite like losing a character you have been working on for the last 14 or more sessions. Having a craptastic year? Well, now your favorite character is dead too! But sometimes, it has to happen to keep the game real.
RPG Communication Breakdowns: What to Do When the DM and Players See Things Differently
It’s one of the hardest things for any DM to handle: What do you do when the way you see the game and the way the players see the game is no longer in sync? This is no academic discussion. One of our own games is suffering from miscommunication, and it’s not fun. Can it be saved? Can yours if it’s starting to see some of these same issues?
Wishful Thinking: DM Tips for Granting D&D’s Most Powerful Spell
Few spells or abilities in dungeons & dragons are as powerful or open-ended as the Wish. Having the power to simply wish for whatever you want, and then have it given to you, is the stuff of legends. As a DM, how do you handle that?
Something Old, Something New: Tips for Reskinning Existing Characters
How do we feel about playing characters from popular fiction? Well, here’s how I did it with a 5E modern setting and Aeron Pendragon … King Arthur’s long lost descendant in Philadelphia, PA.
Famous Fictional PCs: Should You Allow Pop-Culture Clones in Your RPG Campaigns?
Should your TTRPG campaign allow players to make clones of famous fictional characters (like Drizzt, Riddick or The Avengers)? Maybe. After all if a player is inspired, they’re going to be more engaged. But these can be complicated situations. Here’s how to make them work.
3 Ways to Design RPG Campaigns: Railroad vs. Open World vs. Dave
Is it better to put players on the train through your tight, entertaining story, or create a reactive world for them wander around at their leisure? In this episode, Thorin, Tony and Dave talk about how they build their campaigns, from what they want to accomplish to how they prepare week to week. Along they’ll way, we’ll look at how the different styles affect the players and their game experience. And we’ll discuss whether or not, in the end, they’re really all that different?
Little Shop of Horrors: 3 Rules for Running D&D Magic Item Stores
Should your players be able to buy magical items in your campaign? It’s not a new question for DM’s, and believe me, I understand that plenty of DMs feel very strongly against this. However, I ask you to hear me out because this has worked beautifully in many of my previous campaigns, including the one I’m running now.
Digging Into Character Backstories for Fun and Pathos
Some players come into any RPG they play with a 4-page character origin and personal history that drives them to adventure — others can barely pick a name. What do you do with player character backgrounds like these? In this week’s episode, Thorin, Tony and Dave dig into what they want and don’t want from character backstories, and how they use them in their games.