In terms of at-the-table confidence, there’s one tool that’s made the biggest difference for me: a notecard. Just one regular notecard, clipped to my DM screen. And on that notecard is a list of names, male on the left, female on the right. And that’s it. It took me less than ten minutes to make, […]
How I Balance Rule of Cool
As a DM, we sometimes have to balance the “Rule of Cool” with game balance in general. If you have a player that wants to do something nuts once, that’s one thing. I can speak from experience saying that, when making those at-the-table decisions, the question of “what if this becomes a regular thing? That […]
Modifying on the Fly
Last night, I ran a group of five (three of whom were brand-new to the game) through a modified version of the Goblin Cave from the beginning of Lost Mines of Phandelver. And from that entire sentence, the most important part, I think, is the word “modified.” This particular adventure has a pretty firm three-session […]
The Quirkier the Better
One of the most under-used tables in the DMG is the “Quirks” table on pg. 143. There’s no reason not to use it, really. Who wants a boring old +1 sword? Nobody. I’m running a short, summer adventure starting this evening, and I’ve already decided that there will be a Hungry Immovable Rod waiting somewhere […]