misc - PhD20 (Page 2)

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misc

A collection of 36 posts

My version of Kobold Hall with additional passageways and loopbacks

Kobold Hall | A Dungeon Design Exercise

Designing dungeons is one of the many fun jobs of a game master. But designing a dungeon from scratch can be daunting and time-consuming. In this article, we’ll start with a simple map and your only job is to make it better. By the end, you’ll have a

A black frame decorated with white and red runes, patterns, swords, and dice. It’s framing an empty white space with a black chalk marker lying on top.

Create Your Own Battle Board for D&D

Figuring out maps for in-person D&D is tough. Whether you use a whiteboard, printed maps, dungeon tiles, or terrain, consider adding a battle board. This is a fun, low-effort crafting experiment that gives you a dynamic artifact to bring to the table each week. Supplies First, find a

3 Reasons to Avoid Player Secrets in D&D

Over the last 5 years, I’ve run a Dungeons & Dragons campaign that relied heavily on player secrets. Each player discovered and even created secrets throughout the campaign that the other players at the table didn’t know. I saw few upsides to this approach and plenty of downsides.

Gotta Catch 'Em All: Magic Items

I like to look to my favorite books, games, and shows for D&D inspiration. This is a powerful tool for a DM. When looking at Pokémon, the inspiration was obvious: magic items. In the games, you set out to collect Pokémon. You overcome challenges by using the skills

It's Clear That...

Do you ever have players that don’t get it? You’ve laid out all the clues and answers but the players can’t seem to pick them up? Here’s a secret: the problem isn’t the players. The problem isn’t you. It’s the nature of tabletop

3 Tips for Becoming a Professional Game Master

Over the last decade, I’ve run hundreds of games of D&D. Recently, I dabbled in professional game mastering (paid to GM). Here are three tips to help you become a professional GM. Tip 1: Offer a Variety of Games Offer a variety of games to see what

3 Things I Learned as a Professional Game Master

Over the last decade, I’ve run hundreds of games of D&D. Recently, I dabbled in professional game mastering (paid to GM). Here are three things I learned. People Are Willing to Pay There’s definitely a market for professional game masters. No matter your opinion on whether

Scattered Series of the Infinite Wizard

This was from a rejected pitch to a TTRPG zine. I liked the idea too much to let it go. I’ve fleshed it out with all twelve locations and flavorful aspects. Enjoy! The Scattered Series of the Infinite Wizard is a series of twelve magical books scattered throughout the

Satisfying Player Character Endings

When I finish a long-running D&D campaign, I always ensure the last session includes the following for each character: 1. A dream fulfilled. 2. A surprise. 3. A choice. A Dream Fulfilled Characters (and the players behind them) have goals. By the end of the campaign, let them

A witch and cat falling through the sky with a floating city in the background

Flaws in Your D&D Game

Flaws and failure provide unparalleled opportunities for memorable moments in D&D. In this article, we’ll focus on flaws. We’ll look at why players and DMs underutilize them and how to fix that. What are flaws? According to the Basic Rules: “your character’s flaw represents some

Six images of snacks, drinks, and TTRPG miniatures

Midwest D&D Raid

In October of 2019, I participated in the most epic D&D game ever. A luxury loft in a historical part of town. Tons of food and drinks. More than a dozen players. Two Dungeon Masters. One epic raid. Unfortunately, the story has a sad beginning. One of our