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Author Archives: Law
Skill Challenges (or, They Wasted a Perfectly Good Mechanic)
One thing I was excited about in 4th Edition was skill challenges. I think they’re a great idea. I think they’re such a great idea that I can’t help but notice that every DM in every campaign I’ve seen has … Continue reading
Pacing (Part 4, Ideas)
I’ve spent three blog posts going over the theory of pacing. Though I provided some examples, I didn’t really go over that many specifics of how pacing can work in a campaign. So here are some ideas I’ve used that … Continue reading
Posted in DMing
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Pacing (Part 3, Medium- and Long-Term)
Pacing a multi-session adventure or campaign isn’t as easy as “like a session, but longer”. Yes, there’s still a need for crests and troughs. Yes, the same principles generally apply to creating exciting moments and downtime between them. But an … Continue reading
Posted in DMing
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Pacing (Part 2, Short-Term)
Some aspects of pacing are pretty clear. I think most DMs understand (and players prefer) that campaigns start with something interesting to make the characters care about the story, like a surprise fight that unites the party or a mystery … Continue reading
Posted in DMing, Gaming Systems
Tagged D&D 3.5E, D&D 4E, Pathfinder
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Pacing (Part 1, Overview)
Imagine a football game* where every play ends in a touchdown. For the first few plays, it’s pretty exciting. Returning a kick for a touchdown is the thing of sports highlight reels, as are fifty-yard passes and expert runs. But … Continue reading
Session Zero
I think the hardest part of anything is the ending, but the second hardest part is the beginning. The first episode of a TV show, the first chapter of a book, and the first issue of a comic are what’s … Continue reading
Posted in DMing, House Rules
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When You Miss a Session
I’ve gone over how to handle a player missing a session in a campaign from the DM’s perspective, but that’s not really complete. There’s also an etiquette around how to deal with missing a session yourself, whether you’re the DM … Continue reading
Posted in DMing
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Weapon With Powers (Part 2)
I’ve added a few new weapons to the list. I think I’m going to end up in Eastern weapons next, though I’m running out of status ailments. Maybe I need to make a weapon like in Rurouni Kenshin, where it … Continue reading
Ultimate Equipment
I wanted to write my impressions of Ultimate Equipment, but what is there to say? It’s not like reviewing a normal book, where there’s some sort of new game-bending feature (Words of Power, Ultimate Magic) or I can rail on … Continue reading
On Undead (and also, I Suppose, Reskinning)
An article today on Wizards’ website got me thinking. Let’s try a little experiment. Take a look at this creature and this creature. Assuming that you only have the pictures to go on (and, I guess, the names since they’re … Continue reading →