Tabletop RPG Combat Isn’t Always About Trading Blows
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
For those of us Dungeon Masters who care more about the narrative than the combat parts of the game, trading blows can be a total drag. But I’m about to tell you, the narrative doesn’t have to stop just because combat started.
There is no doubt that a huge part of Dungeons & Dragons is combat. You open the Player’s Handbook and a huge chunk of it is dedicated to the combat rules. Most of the feats are combat related. A great number of spells were written with dealing damage and whomping bad guys in mind (or good guys, if that’s your preferred flavor).
D&D Character Professions and Why We Need More of Them
What 5e D&D lacks
What 5e D&D lacksFifth Edition Dungeons & Dragons is a wonderful thing, but there is something it’s missing. Something that’s a big deal to a few of us, even as others don’t even notice it’s missing. That thing is an official crafting system. Of course, there are fan rules up on the internet for this kind of thing, and some of them are really great. That’s what I want to talk about today.
Making things is fun. There is something undeniably cool about having your character in one campaign craft an item or a weapon and then three campaigns later having a character find that item in a dungeon and you as a player getting to feel the rush of excitement that comes with remembering that thing.
The Name Game Part II: Locations, Locations, Locations
We’ve covered character names, but this part is more to do with the names of locations, and as a result is going to be more for Dungeon Masters than for players. Not completely, though! I’ve been in many a campaign where at some point the PCs clear a town of zombies and have to name it. It happens. That said, still mostly for DMs, and we’re going to go from the top down.
The Name Game Part I: Characters and Groups of People
Drizzt Do’Urden (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
One of the huge problems I see most often, both in players and Dungeon Masters, is naming things. Everything else comes easily, you’ve got a character or an idea and it all comes flooding out, and then you’re left staring at this blank space on the page labeled “name.”
So, I’m going to share some of what works for me when it comes to naming things, and hopefully it will find its way to the hands of someone for whom it will be useful.
DMing a Killer Romance Arc in D&D
Bringing romance to D&D
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and with all this pink and red plastered everywhere, and all of these teddy bears crowding the shelves at every store, it’s no wonder I’ve got romance on the brain. It’s enough to make a person want to barf. But in honor of the holiday, I’m going to take a moment to talk about romance subplots at the gaming table.
In the Hot Seat: Another Way to Tabletop
When you think of D&D, the first thing that probably comes to mind is one Dungeon Master, maybe behind a screen, and a group of four to five players sitting around with their dice and character sheets. Some of you may imagine the inevitable fight that comes before the campaign gets started; no one wants to DM, no one wants the responsibility, but everybody still really wants to play.
