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.
Five reasons why you should be taking notes
Deeper character creation: dramatic poles revisited
One of the most powerful storytelling tools I’ve encountered this year is also one of the simplest: dramatic poles.
A Complete Guide to the 13 Damage Types in D&D: Part One
Have you ever wanted to dive deep into the different damage types in D&D? If so, this post is for you. The aim is to help DMs (and players!) understand what damage means in D&D and how best to describe it.
Happy Belated Birthday, Scroll for Initiative!
Whoops: I missed my second anniversary. Can’t believe it’s been two years! Thank you for reading, sharing, and commenting. To celebrate, here are my top ten posts. 10. How to Run Time Travel in D&D This was quite a personal one for me. I had been playing D&D for 20 years and never used time … Continue reading Happy Belated Birthday, Scroll for Initiative!
Summer D&D: Playing D&D in the sunshine
It’s nearly June – and for those of us in the northern hemisphere, summer! Time to play D&D outside? There are a few practicalities to consider first.
Deeper character creation: the game of 20 questions
Some players strive to be more than just another elven wizard. The game of 20 questions is a neat concept for building richer, deeper characters.
Is rolling initiative a pointless ritual?
Today’s topic is something so iconic within D&D that some people have even named their blogs after it: rolling initiative. Using initiative to determine combat order has a history going all the way back to 1977. But do we need it, really? Or is it an unnecessary hassle? The case for rolling There are two … Continue reading Is rolling initiative a pointless ritual?
Alignment: love it or hate it?
First off, an apology. I was due to write about Foundry VTT this week, but we didn’t manage a full session, so I want to give it another week or so before I write a review. (First thoughts, though: it’s pretty great.) Today, instead, I am looking at a completely different topic: alignment. For some, … Continue reading Alignment: love it or hate it?
Best Magic Items by Class
I don’t normally do this sort of ‘optimizer’ guide, but this one was fun to do and is as useful to DMs as it is to players. By the time you get to 20th level, you will probably have at least one magic item of each rarity (legendary, very rare, rare, and uncommon). This guide … Continue reading Best Magic Items by Class
My Golden Rule For Making Combat More Interesting
Generally speaking, I don’t believe in telling people how D&D ‘should’ be played. There are different DM styles and different game styles, and that’s OK. Even now, I’m really offering a tip, not an instruction. But if there’s one easy way to improve combat, it’s this: Stop describing every hit and miss. Sacrilige! I hear … Continue reading My Golden Rule For Making Combat More Interesting