Short, bite-sized RPG advice, tips, and tricks for DMs and players of tabletop role playing games (TTRPG)
243 episodes transcribedwithin the game. The way we describe encounters, how we interact with our players, and whether or not to offer advice can make a game session fun and...
A listener wrote in asking for more details about dragons and I’m happy to oblige. They are complex creatures that have a lot of abilities and long l...
Some groups keep combat conversations barebones, only allowing brief phrases to be exchanged during combat. In this episode, I’ll give some pros and...
Some players want a hard game. They’ve been there, done that and got the scars to prove it. They want something more difficult and more punishing. ...
Sometimes you as the DM want to make the game a little easier for the players. Maybe the players are new or just want a game where they feel like god...
Player Agency describes the power of players to make choices for their characters. There is an unspoken social contract around every RPG table that t...
In this episode I talk about ways you can make your characters and NPCs distinct from one another. I do encourage you to try to use an accent, even i...
Gaming sessions can vary widely in length but running very short gaming sessions (less than 2 hours or so) and very long gaming sessions (ones stretch...
Some players and DMs love campaigns that take years to complete with multiple complex situations being resolved and a grand universal threat eliminate...
Most GMs love their players and running games is a labor of love for them. However, burnout can happen to all of us and it might be a good idea for y...
Dungeons are core to many of our game systems out there. This week, in part 2 of the dungeon crawl series, I give DMs some tips for populating dungeo...
Dungeon crawl adventures can be some of the most fun adventures that you run and they are relatively simple to set up provided you have a few pieces o...
This isn't your normal advice episode. In this surprise gift to all of you, here is a peek behind the curtain at just how many times I mess up while...
There are two types of changes players and GMs can make to rules, spells, effects, weapons, and other aspects of tabletop RPGs: flavor or fluff chang...
Not every combat needs to be a slog to determine which side grinds down the other to 0 hit points. By considering enemy motivations, the “why” of the...
We GMs have a certain way of thinking, sometimes lightning quick and nimble, and sometimes more methodical and measured. We need to learn how to get...
DMs, our job is varied and difficult at times. We have so much on our plate to get ready for the game that we sometimes lose sight of the most import...
Players, your DMs love you and enjoy having you at their table but some of them could use a little help even if they don’t know how to ask for it. In...
Exploration is the shortest of the three legs of RPGs and doesn’t get the love that combat or social encounters do at most tables. However, with a li...
While combat encounters are fun, there are two other pillars to tabletop RPGs that can turn a good game into a great one. In this episode I talk abou...
