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Category Archives: DMing
Pre-Campaign Survey
I mentioned a campaign survey once that I used for my campaigns, but I never actually published it. You can find it here. The idea is that players fill out the survey by indicating where they want the campaign to … Continue reading
Posted in DMing, House Rules
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Live GameScreen
I have to give props to Live GameScreen, and not just because I invented it. It’s the tool I’ve been using at the table for almost three years now, and along with MapTool (for online gaming) it’s the only software … Continue reading
System Depth and Published Material
When a player is building a character, I generally go through the same steps with them every time, or suggest that they go through the steps on their own if they’re sufficiently well-versed in the system: Decide what character they … Continue reading
Posted in DMing
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Marathon Sessions (or, Sleep Is for the Boring)
Note: One of the problems with having a post backlog that I go through is that sometimes I talk about issues that aren’t as topical by the time the post goes live. Trust me, three weeks ago House of Cards … Continue reading
Posted in DMing
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Schrödinger’s Gun in Games (or, That Robot Ducky is a Doombot!)
When I was younger and thus poorer, I liked to make gifts for people rather than purchase them. One year I came home from college for a weekend that coincided with my cousin’s first or second birthday party, and I … Continue reading
Law A
The Laws started as kind of a tongue-in-cheek breakdown of my DMing style, which is how they got wording like “players can screw themselves over” that would get me laughed out of Wikipedia. Originally the list was longer and included … Continue reading
Posted in DMing, Laws
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Set Pieces in D&D
I’ve said before that I like designing campaigns toward some sort of set piece, and I think there’s an opportunity to explain. Here, a set piece is a significant encounter that doesn’t follow the normal flow of D&D. It’s usually … Continue reading
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
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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
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