Running the Game

Ready for My Close-Up: 3 Tips for Improving Roleplaying at Your RPG Table

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In a recent episode, we discussed how to go about introducing new players to the hobby. During our discussion, we got around to the topic of roleplaying, specifically about ways to encourage people who are brand new to tabletop gaming to act and speak as their characters would act and speak. This would have been my response to the question, had my brain not decided that it was time to, I don’t know, catalog my grocery list for the coming week while going live!

DMing Big Character Changes: How to Handle PCs Shifting Alignments, Races, Classes, and More Without Ruining the Game or That Player’s Fun

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How we handle RPG character-altering changes, get the players on board with them and make it all balance mechanically with the rest of the game.

14 Tips for DMing First-Time Players: Teaching RPG Newbs the Game, Their Characters, and How to Have a Great Time Playing Both

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Of all the roles the DM takes on, none is more important than bringing new players into the hobby. DM a game, and your player has fun for a night. Teach them to play, and they may have fun for the rest of their lives (or think you’re a gigantic weirdo — it’s a win either way). In this episode, on the eve of DM Dave launching a mostly rookie campaign, the 3 Wise DMs talk about how they handle new players, what they do to try to teach them the game, and how they make it fun without overwhelming the poor newbs.

15 Tips for Running RPG Villains: Playing BBEGs Your PCs Will Love to Hate

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How do you make sure your BBEG is epic like Darth Vader and not a sniveling mama’s boy like Joss Whedon’s Steppenwolf? The 3 Wise DMs dig into their process for creating villains that are worthy of the title, from concept to motivation to final confrontation.

The 4 Pillars of Exceptional Roleplaying

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If you asked 12 veteran gamers what fantastic roleplay looks like, you would get 12 very diverse answers. That’s exactly how it should be. You can’t nail down precisely what a great character looks like, and if you could, it would be boring. Instead, let’s look at some of the qualities adept gamers exhibit in terms of roleplay, and how they can be added to your gaming toolbox.

D&D Alignment: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly for Your RPG Campaigns — RPG MythBusters

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“Alignment doesn’t matter!” We’ve heard it all over the place, but alignment has been a part of D&D and other RPGs for decades. Is it worth your time? Does it make things worse instead of better? Does it have any benefits players today are overlooking?

DMing RPG Party Conflict: 5 Tips for When Your Players Get Along But Their Characters Don’t

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Gaming keeps friendships together. But. what do you do when one or more of your friend’s characters either don’t get along or outright dislike each other? Unfortunately, when this happens, it can kill a game like nothing else. And on this topic, I’m speaking from experience. So, I would like to give some tips to help navigate this situation if you happen to be that unlucky DM whose party members have more hate for each other than the final boss.

Storm King’s Thunder DM Review: The 9 Deviations DM Tony Used to Make D&D’s Giant Globetrot His Own

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When is a book module not a book module? When the DM throws in birthday games, a modifiable Spelljammer airship, legendary weapons tied to every character’s backstory, and more deviations from the standard campaign than we could count. Hear all this and more, as we break down the 9 main deviations Tony brought to Storm King’s Thunder and the DM’s perspective on running it.

TTRPG Party Dynamics: How We Want Players to Work Together and What We Do When They Don’t

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In this episode, the 3 Wise DMs talk about what they want in the RPG parties and players they DM for, what they care about, and what they let slide.

The Cannonball Run: 3 Ways to Handle Players Missing Sessions

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In our latest episode, we answered a listener’s question regarding how to handle players missing sessions. This led to a brainstorm about how to build a campaign that turns this apparent weakness into a strength. Starting from the basic idea of a West Marches-style campaign, I offer you “The Cannonball Run.”