Unusually for me, I've spent most of the last six months not DMing but playing. And it's been fun! It's also been a useful reminder of what players love most about RPGs at the table.
Nine things to look for in a perfect D&D game
Five reasons why you should be taking notes
As a DM, I have played with many, many brilliant players over the years. Some are quiet, some are energetic, some are hilarious, some are proper thespians. But the absolute best players take notes.
A new handbook to help you run a complete campaign?!
I have only ever run one homebrew campaign from 1st to 20th level, and it followed a very loose structure, one session at a time. I would love to write something that helps other DMs achieve the same thing.
Should you stop letting players get spell components for free?
How many spells are there with expensive material components? Answer: more than you think.
How to roleplay every NPC (almost!)
I recently came across the idea of a psychological gesture from Justin Alexander of the Alexandrian. This is a technique created by Michael Chekhov where actors use a physical action to capture and express their character's main emotional or psychological state. I've been trying it out a bit, and it's fun and really helps me get in character quickly.
How many liches does your world have?
Should the world level up with the players? The question gets me thinking about the ecology of my game world. How rare is an ancient red dragon? A storm giant? A bulette? That’s really what this article is about: trying to find a framework for monster rarity.
How practical is raise dead?
Something goes wrong, a few dice rolls go awry, and then, all of a sudden, somebody’s character is dead. Not unconscious: dead. Now what?
Unlocking the magic of literary fantasy
Over the last few years, I’ve realized that what I really crave in my fantasy isn’t necessarily a recognized subgenre. I call it literary fantasy.
Awesome climate and terrain: Part 2!
Last week we explored arctic, coastal, desert, forest, and grassland environments. This week, we've got a few more: hill, mountain, swamp, Underdark, underwater, and urban.
How to build an awesome fantasy world with climate and terrain
I’ve been reading a lot about worldbuilding and map-making for a while now, so I thought I would put some of my notes in one place.