Category Archives: Advice

How to Reveal a Dungeon Map on an iPad as Characters Explore

Posted on August 20, 2019 by David Hartlage

Mapping rates as one of the chores in the original Dungeons & Dragons game that players learned to skip. In early D&D, one player assumed the role of mapper and transcribed a description of walls and distances onto graph paper. … Continue reading →

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Strong Moral Dilemmas in D&D and the Unwanted Kind that Keeps Appearing

Posted on May 14, 2019 by David Hartlage

The best tales climax when the heroes must choose between what they’ve learned is right and an easy route to what they thought they wanted. In fiction, such moral dilemmas reveal character. When a woman who only ever wanted to … Continue reading →

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How to Create Loveable Non-Player Characters While You Supercharge Your Sex Appeal

Posted on April 2, 2019 by David Hartlage

When roleplaying game players have affection for the friends and allies in a campaign’s supporting cast, the game improves. Players who feel an attachment to non-player characters will strive to help and protect them. That draws players into the game … Continue reading →

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How to Make Non-Player Characters That Your Players Will Like

Posted on March 26, 2019 by David Hartlage

The murderhobo stereotype sums the worst behaviors of Dungeons & Dragons player characters. Such characters roam the land, killing everything that stands in the way of treasure. They rob merchants, murder town guards trying to make an arrest, and attack … Continue reading →

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5 Tricks for Creating Brilliant Dungeon Maps From Will Doyle

Posted on February 26, 2019 by David Hartlage

If you played the Dungeons & Dragons adventures Tomb of Annihilation or Storm King’s Thunder, you adventured through dungeon maps created by Will Doyle. In an episode of the Official D&D Podcast, D&D’s principle story designer, Chris Perkins, explained why … Continue reading →

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Running Group Roleplaying Scenes—How Permission From an RPG Legend Made Me Stop Talking to Myself

Posted on February 19, 2019 by David Hartlage

Much of a dungeon master’s skill amounts to choosing the technique that suits a moment in the game. I have two examples: Maps and miniatures bring advantages, but if a character battles a sentry or flees an army, skip the … Continue reading →

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10 Ways to Build a Character That Will Earn the Love of Your Party

Posted on February 5, 2019 by David Hartlage

In Dungeons & Dragons, rolling handfuls of damage dice feels like a good way to shine among party members, but know this secret: Other players usually overlook the damage you do. If you really want to shine, find ways to … Continue reading →

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Should Charm Person Work Like a Jedi Mind Trick?

Posted on January 29, 2019 by David Hartlage

In three original, brown Dungeons & Dragons books, what spell ranks as the most powerful? At 6th level, disintegrate could turn someone to dust, but charm person could put someone “completely under the influence of the Magic-User until such time … Continue reading →

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Should a Dungeon Master Invite Players to Help Create the D&D World Beyond Their Characters?

Posted on December 18, 2018 by David Hartlage

In 1970, Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Dave Arneson joined the Castles & Crusades Society, a group of miniature gamers formed by D&D co-creator Gary Gygax. The group imagined a Great Kingdom and parceled out territories to players to develop for … Continue reading →

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How to Use the Players’ Metagaming to Mess With Their Heads (and Improve Your Game)

Posted on December 4, 2018 by David Hartlage

In the original Dungeon Master’s Guide, Dungeon & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax suggested speeding overcautious players by rolling “huge handfuls of dice” to raise fears of nearby monsters. Of course, the characters in the game world never hear the die … Continue reading →

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