DMing a Killer Mystery Arc in D&D
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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.
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 ...
Tabletop RPG Combat Isn’t Always About Trading Blows
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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.
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.
Split the party! Trials and triumphs of a full-time nerd in a part-time world
Without a GM to run the tabletop RPG, whether it’s Dungeons & Dragons or whatever game your group is playing, the party’s continuing adventures will be put on hold. But what if one or more of the players can’t make it to your next session?...
Learn How to Play Dungeons & Dragons for Beginners | Brought to you by Easy Roller Dice
What a typical adventuring party might look like … well, actually there is no “typical” adventuring party!
At Nerdarchy we’re excited to announce we’ve recently joined an adventuring party with Easy Roller Dice to do a series focused on teaching new players how to play Dungeons & Dragons. The problem of learning how to play D&D has often been that you need someone to teach you how to play it, an older brother, cousin, or friend of the family who already knew how to play the game! Learning how to play D&D correctly is almost something of a hybrid between written and oral traditions as the complexity of the rules can make it difficult for new players to come into the hobby. That’s how I learned to play — when I was 11 years old, my eldest brother Dave began showing me how to play Dungeons & Dragons in the 2nd edition of the game (and believe me, there were some really awkward, wonky rules — just look up THACO!). Fortunately, we now have the ability to easily share information in written, audio, and visual forms — twenty years ago you needed that mentor player, but now, we can direct you to this series of videos that we’re making for you, apprentice D&D adventurer.
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.
Stay in touch between sessions! Trials and triumphs of a full-time nerd in a part-time world
There’s all manner of real-life demands for time that can make for infrequent RPG sessions. Try using time away from the table to enhance your game!
By now, after leading the way to muster a group of roleplaying gamers, throwing their characters into the middle of an exciting situation, and letting the players guide the direction of the narrative, you’ve got yourself a campaign going. What started with your ambition to preserve and foster your gaming hobby, sharing the joy with others, has been a success!
Drawing Out The Poison: The unfortunate event of removing someone from your RPG party
This is a topic that can be quite touchy, being that everyone involved is usually quite uncomfortable or annoyed in some way. This past week I had the “super fun” job of voting out a player who was being, in the nicest way to say it, a complete fun sucker. As the silent eye rolls and constant questioning of all the DM’s decision-making slowly filled the room with an ichor of emotions and distaste, it became more and more apparent that this particular character was clearly unstable due to his lack of perception and understanding of everyone’s uncomfortable “energy/gamer vibes.” Usually the worst part of these kind of people is exactly that, that they are oblivious of others’ annoyance and blindly continue in there railroading gaming tactics.
Let players steer the ship! Trials and triumphs of a full-time nerd in a part-time world
By listening to your players and giving them options and choices, you’re letting them direct the action and tell the story they want to. As a bonus, there’s less chance the GM will pigeon-hole themselves with their own narrative.
In the previous installment, I advised GMs to throw players directly into action to start off a new campaign. This is especially useful for groups without regular gaming sessions and/or groups that include new or lapsed gamers. Your goal is to hook the players by immersing them in the world and instilling the sense that their characters’ actions carry water and move the story forward.
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.
Start off with a bang! Trials and triumphs of a full-time nerd in a part-time world
If you know why this advertisement for Botany suits is relevant, then you have too much time on your hands. I know I do, that’s how I found out they used the slogan “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” in a 1966 ad campaign. I couldn’t find that one, but this ad’s “Come on strong!” message works, too.
Last week in this column, I began to explore ideas to keep a gaming hobby vibrant amidst increasing demands on time presented by things like children, conflicting work schedules and the like. Adulting can take a serious toll on a gamer’s opportunities for group gaming.
