Dungeons & Discourse: Digital Media
As Nerdarchist Dave has mentioned in the past, the staff writers here at Nerdarchy.com have really started to gel. We’re putting together a module for Geek & Sundry’s International Tabletop Day that I think is fantastic, and we have a lot of great discourse, a majority of which is just for us. We share our perspectives with each other, elicit help, or provide suggestions. Sometimes we just talk about whatever. I think what makes it the best is that, even if we vehemently disagree with each other, or it’s a couple of us railing against the world, there is a genuine respect that allows us to know everyone is actually trying to listen to and understand each other, even if all we did was take a merry-go-round.
“Gang of One” – Out of the Box D&D Encounters #45
How many times have you, as Dungeon Master, heard this phrase: “Wait, a (insert monster)? In (insert environment)? Don’t they normally occur in (insert different environment)?” How many times has THAT been a headache? Well, this Out of The Box addresses that sort of dilemma. True, many random encounter generators, whether digital or printed, separate the reasonably possible creatures into the environs they should be expected in. However, the DM may wish to use a creature because they may never have tried a new one, or find the list of possible encounters uninspiring.
The simple solution is to re-skin a creature in such a way as to MAKE it plausible.
DMing a Killer Mystery Arc in D&D
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Mysteries are one of my favorite things in tabletops. It’s like a big puzzle to solve, but with talking to people and assessing their motives. Sometimes there’s even a little larceny involved. I have to admit, I’m a fan. Then again, I have to be, I write mystery novels.
In D&D, mysteries can be really difficult to run with spells in the game like “Detect Thoughts” and “Zone of Truth.” The thing is, the characters have to know whose mind to read before they can be effective with either of these things, and even the highest level wizard can only do it so many times a day.
Experience schmexperience! Trials and triumphs of a full-time nerd in a part-time world
A item on my list of potential topics, a comment from Nerdarchist Ryan on a recent Saturday live chat, and something one of my players said to me the other day have coalesced into this week’s examination of different ways to approach your tabletop gaming hobby. A core concept shared by roleplaying games is that characters progress through an advancement system based on experiences. Different systems have different terminology for the mechanics, but essentially it involves accumulating a resource used to reach thresholds of advancement. In Dungeons & Dragons – the game I’m most familiar with – this is represented by experience points.
New DM Handbook: A Fistful of Rules
There have been a number of little topics that I’ve been meaning to talk about, but none of them are big enough to warrant their own article, so I’ve decided to compile them here.
“Old Yeller” – Out of the Box D&D Encounters #44
Monster synergy. It’s something you do not hear all that much. Surely we all know that different goblinoids will work together, or that some creatures like Ettins and Ogres will work for others for the right bribe. However, when it comes to some, they are generally overlooked except in the most obvious cases. We have seen lesser animated undead like Skeletons or Zombies work with each other or the creature that animated them – but not with something equally mindless.
Calling All Noobs! Conquering Your Fears Of Playing D&D
As a newer player to Dungeons & Dragons, I know it can seem overwhelming to learn all the rules and rolls of starting a new game, and even more overwhelming to conquer the anxiety of being “the noob” around all your super cool nerdy friends, so I want to add some advice from the extensive noob experience I have just waiting to be shared! The great thing about D&D is ultimately you realize that no matter what you are feeling or thinking, this is indeed just a game! One to be thoroughly enjoyed at that! When you can finally get yourself to that table or that online group and just start playing, you will find things get easier from there, especially with your friends close by to guide you.
Running a Successful DMPC
Running a DMPC (Dungeon Master's Player Character) is not an easy thing to balance, I will give you that. The DMPC is a tricky and unique animal. But it’s not fair to say "never do this, not ever." I’ve seen them done well, and as someone...
There is only one rule! Trials and triumphs of a full-time nerd in a part-time world
One rule to bind them all ...
New DM Handbook: Pirate’s Cove (My Tutorial Quest)
A couple of months ago, I laid out an article about the usefulness of a tutorial quest for new players. I’ve since referenced it a number of times in other articles, but I haven’t talked about the results, which I promised to do after finishing the quest with my party. A promise that I haven’t yet kept until now, mostly because there have been other articles that were more pressing or more relevant, for the moment. Especially in the light of my article last week about starting your adventure, which included the mistakes I made, now is the perfect time to share the tutorial quest I made, how things went, what I would do differently, and the overall lessons I learned.
“The Beast of Bellard” – Out of the Box D&D Encounters #43
This game is filled with a lot of preconceptions. Monsters are viewed, many times, in a singular way. Orcs are savages. Goblins are cowards. Trolls are unintelligent brutes, and the only way to beat them is with fire or acid.
This is a product of the long history of D&D. This game has a lot of back story based in player and DM experience, and has influenced movies, novels, games, and pop culture since its inception. That is both good and bad. It’s good to know your fave hobby has had such an impact, but it’s bad when the preconceptions become not only the norm, but expected. That removes the magic of discovery we experienced players envy in the most nostalgic way when we see a new player discover something we’ve seen a thousand times. We look at that new player with a sense of wonder and miss that feeling.
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).
The art of collaborative adventure design
Taking a break from the usual musings on nurturing a tabletop gaming habit amidst the time demands of busy adult lives, this week I’d like to share some insider thoughts on a Nerdarchy project I’m involved with. “Floshar’s Fate” (title subject to change) is a free Dungeons & Dragons 5E one-shot adventure in the works from several Nerdarchy writers in honor of Geek & Sunday’s International Tabletop Day 2017 on April 29. Don’t worry – there’s no spoilers here, so whether you’re a DM looking forward to running this adventure or a player hoping to experience it at your table, there’s no secrets or details here that will sully it for you.
Who Wants to Live Forever?
It’s not just an awesome Queen song. It’s about wanting to play more than one character in your life, or giving meaning to the life of your character.
Hey, guys, Professor Bill here, and I want to talk about one of my favorite parts of role playing … choosing my own death. It doesn’t have to be emo, there are many reasons why you would want your character to die. Maybe you want to play a different character. With me, I figure that a character can only be known for but so many accomplishments. I mean, sure you’ve slain that ancient red dragon, but lots of people in many games around the world have, too.
New DM Handbook: Starting Your Adventure
As of this writing, about 10 days ago The DMG Info shared a video with Nerdarchy about starting your adventure, and how you’re doing it wrong. A week later, Nerdarchists Dave and Ted posted a response video. Today, in a bout of Nerdception, I want to give my thoughts about the subject as a whole, as well as drill down the subject to my experience with my new players.
