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Tag Archives: role playing
Running Group Roleplaying Scenes—How Permission From an RPG Legend Made Me Stop Talking to Myself
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 →
Posted in Advice
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Tagged non-player characters, role playing, Sandy Petersen, split party
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1 Comment
How to Get D&D Players to Make Unforgettable Character Introductions That Take a Minute or Less
Whenever I serve as a dungeon master for strangers at conventions, I learn things that improve my game. But the games where I play Dungeons & Dragons teach me too. I try to start convention games by giving players a … Continue reading →
Posted in Advice
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Tagged introductions, organized play, Origins convention, role playing, Teos Abadia
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11 Comments
Avoiding the Awkward D&D Moment When a Priest, a Wizard, and a Dwarf Enter a Bar and Nothing Happens
A few recurring types of adventure scenes make me want to fast forward the game. For instance, I dislike when an scenario starts a party in a tavern, masquerade, or other social gathering, and then expects them to spend an … Continue reading →
Most Advice for Encouraging Role-playing Stinks, But I Found the Good Stuff
Before I wrote this post, I scoured the Internet for help encouraging Dungeons & Dragons players to role play. Sometimes Dungeons & Dragons players tell me of a session where no one rolled a die because everyone role played for … Continue reading →
Posted in Advice
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Tagged Deborah Ann Woll, Matt Colville, Matt Mercer, role playing, Shelly Mazzanoble
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17 Comments
How N1 Against the Cult of the Reptile God Changed D&D Adventures For Good
When Dungeon issue 116 ranked the 30 greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventures, N1 Against the Cult of the Reptile God landed at number 19. Ed Greenwood summed the 1982 adventure as, “Detective work, hunting for villains, some monster-bashing, and a … Continue reading →
The surprising benefits of giving an adventuring party a guide
When I started gaming, people tended to play Dungeons & Dragons with larger parties than now. When game session fell short of 8 or more players, dungeon masters often added their own character to fill the group. To me, the practice … Continue reading →
Posted in Advice
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Tagged Cloud Giant's Bargain, Ed Greenwood, Elminister, non-player characters, Out of the Abyss, role playing, Tolkien
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3 Comments
What game masters (and their monsters) should say during a combat encounter
During a combat encounters, I focus on keeping play moving. A faster tempo means players spend less time waiting between turns. Waiting never adds fun. Despite my focus on tempo, I do more than count initiative and tell players when … Continue reading →
Never split the party—except when it adds fun
Everyone who plays role-playing games learns the Dungeons & Dragons adage never split the party. In the hobby’s early days, when dungeon masters were referees and players chose difficulty by dungeon level, never splitting the party always made good strategy. … Continue reading →
Posted in Advice
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Tagged metagame, Paranoia, role playing, skill challenges, split party, tempo
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3 Comments
If you want to write games for everyone, game with everyone
In the 80s into the 90s, I would see convention panels or magazine interviews where game professionals said that their game writing left them no time for game playing. Those writers might admit to an occasional session of Call of … Continue reading →
Posted in Role-playing game design
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Tagged Call of Cthulhu, Hoard of the Dragon Queen, role playing, Shawn Merwin, Steve Winter, Teos Abadia, Wolfgang Baur
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5 Comments
The Grand Campaign, Dungeon Master Gear, Fourth Edition D&D, and Other Reactions From the Comment Section
I’m ready for another trip into the comment section. The Grand Campaign My post on the grand campaign prompted a couple of commenters to tell of their long-running grand campaigns. Michael “Chgowiz” Shorten’s game has run more than 10 years. Rick … Continue reading →
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