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Tag Archives: role playing
6 Popular Things in D&D That I Fail to Appreciate
I’m used to having fringe tastes: I love Dungeons & Dragons, fantasy, and science fiction. These days, none of these passions rate as weird, but only because of a recent flip in popular tastes. As a teen, all these interests … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
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Tagged adventure design, Battle Interactive, Dave Arneson, Gary Gygax, miniatures, role playing
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48 Comments
How to Create Loveable Non-Player Characters While You Supercharge Your Sex Appeal
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 →
Posted in Advice
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Tagged Baldur's Gate, Charisma, Eric Scott de Bie, non-player characters, role playing, Tom Lommel
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5 Comments
How to Make Non-Player Characters That Your Players Will Like
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 →
Bring the Thrill of Finding Treasure Back to the Adventurers League
Dungeons & Dragons started as a game about treasure hunting. The rules awarded as much of 80% of total experience points for finding gold, so no one missed the point. Co-creator Gary Gygax knew a thirst for gold resonated with … Continue reading →
Posted in Adventurers League
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Tagged Adventurers League, Gary Gygax, role playing, treasure
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6 Comments
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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5 Comments
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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18 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 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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