3 Wise DMs

One of the beauties of TTRPGs is the ability to not just watch or read an amazing story, but to experience it… to create it. The mystery, the action, the climactic battle between good and evil; D&D gives us the ability to create our favorite stories.One of the most important aspects of that, as the DM, is creating a level of mystery to the story that the players get the chance to uncover as they delve deeper into the adventure. In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave discuss a listener question about the mystery that they’re planning on having last for 10 levels and ask, “am I being cruel by leaving them in mystery so long?” 4:05 3 ways it can go: 1) your plot twist becomes campaign defining, 2) players will rage quit, or 3) it falls flat.4:55 Your campaign is not a novel.7:30 New players might not even understand what they’re choosing when they’re still trying to understand the game mechanics.9:40 If you have something to get through to the players: Repeat, Repeat, Repeat.11:00 The difficulties of conveying the story in a spoken medium.12:30 DM Tony discusses his difficulties in conveying lore-heavy campaigns.14:08 What will the player’s choose? How this can affect the overarching campaign if its too set in stone.16:25 New players might not be as new as you think with the advent of live-play games. But, then again, they might not remember what all the different dice are either.19:05 DM Chris’ analogy of trying to teach something to someone and the lessons we can learn for in-game use. Listen for when the players begin to “parrot back” your plot drops.23:50 The difference between YOUR reveal and THEIR reveal… tie the reveal to the characters. Matt Colville’s “A Tale of Two Campaigns” video.28:40 For a campaign-defining mystery like “Mystara is dying,” there are infinite ways to create a breadcrumb trail for the players to pick up on.35:55 Final Thoughts

Homebrewing has been part of the game since its inception. Hell, the game itself is a homebrew of wargames! We’ve discussed homebrewing in previous episodes and articles, but a listener asks the question about how to homebrew magic items and monsters from well-known pop culture sources (like Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere Universe.)In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave discuss their top nine tips to pulling in objects and ideas from existing beloved pop culture properties and making them have the same level of gravitas as the book, series, or movie that they come from.1:00 A Rock and Roll DM Tour Story.2:05 A listener question about homebrewing monsters and items from The Cosmere by Brandon Sanderson from longtime listener Dr. DM, Jason.4:30 Tip #1: Scaling homebrew to the tier that your campaign is in, for leveling systems like 5e.5:30 Tip #2: Kitbashing from existing items, spells, monsters, etc. (like a Balor that turns into a demonic Bob Ross…)8:10 Tip #3: Ask yourself 2 questions. 1) What is the world you’re pulling from? and, 2) How does the object, magic, or idea work in that world? 9:45 Tip #4: Benchmarking the magic, items, spells, etc. to what your players have and what the enemies have access to.12:45 Our experience with this when we crafted He-Man’s Sword of Power for our Curse of Strahd campaign. Click here for the stats on DM Dave’s unique weapon for Strahd, Lament, the Impaler.16:35 Tip #5: You can have it… you just can’t have it now.21:45 Tip #6: Powerful objects don’t exist in a vacuum. The wars fought over Shardblades and the Spice Melange.24:40 A tangent into how DM Tony’s famous barbarian, Hawk Morgan, has become “The Most Powerful Man in the Universe.”26:20 Tip #7: Take into account how the object affects the campaign world (i.e. the Sun Sword in Barovia).28:05 An example of Tip #5… the quest that needed to happen to craft Takal Aestar, the “Dragon’s Union” (our Sword of Power.)30:50 Tip #8: Scaling up existing magic items and having them grow with the character (DM Chris’ Sun Sword/Holy Avenger, Drakmar Venges, the “Dragon’s Vengeance.”)36:45 DM Dave’s Unique Paladin Longsword, Morthwyl O Duw.40:00 Tip #9: Give powerful items and weapons some history, legends, and gravitas.41:10 Final Thoughts

Birthday games. Several of our recent articles and episodesdiscuss our passion for running birthday games for our game group, whether itbe D&D, the OSR, Avatar Legends, or the classic Marvel Super Heroes system;it’s become our thing.In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave discuss the recent BirthdayGame they ran where The Doctor teamed up with the Sensational She-Hulk andmembers of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four to stop the impending Cybermaninvasion orchestrated by the wielder of the Cosmic Control Rod, Annihilus, anddo battle against the Brood in a giant Space Whale (believe us…. It made waymore sense at the table!)We then discuss our 7 best tips to help you build your ownVery Special One-Shot for Birthdays or any other day!2:20 Finding the right type of setting and property toshowcase the gift of the Birthday Game. DM Tony revisits his love of theclassic AD&D adventure, Castle Greyhawk.4:30 Tip #1: Have a Solid Theme.5:30 DM Dave gives a brief overview of the impetus for the “LostEpisode of Doctor Who” that birthed this episode.8:25 Tip #2: Use Existing Properties: How we’ve builtexisting properties like Masters of the Universe into existing games, like our Curseof Strahd campaign. Shout-out to the team over at Nerdarchy!16:20 Tip #3: Choose the Best System for the Setting AND thePlayers.18:00 Tip #4: Go All Out. Terrain, minis, costumes… reallystretch your limits.19:00 We revisit DM Tony’s Murder Mystery One-Shot that hebased off Clue.20:19 Tip #5: Use the Players Favorite Character/Campaign asthe Focus.22:28 Tip #6: Tie It into Your Existing Campaigns… and our overarchingMultiverse.24:50 Tip #7: The most obvious… Focus on the Special Player.30:45 DM Chris brainstorms planning a Birthday One-Shot inreal time.36:45 Final Thoughts.

Inspiration. Along with Advantage and Disadvantage, its oneof the most streamlined mechanics in 5e. However, we all love to try new oradjusted mechanics to continually improve our DMing. Fellow Wise DM Mike Sheaover at Sly Flourish shared an article discussing the Luck System from KoboldPress’ Project Black Flag playtest. In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave discuss Inspiration;how we use it in our games and the changes we have made and are thinking ofmaking to improve our games.For all those Inspiration dice, check out our affiliate linkat FanRoll Dice to get 10% off your entire order.3:00 Our recent Marvel FASERIP game that gave us some ideas.Check out Professor Bill at Comic Book University.4:15 Keeping track of Inspiration, both as a player and as aDM.5:20 How something like the Luck System evens out the powerdifferential between DM and players.7:25 Our first change… DM Dave allowing DM Inspiration tostack starting in our Curse of Strahd campaign.13:25 How the idea of karma from the FASERIP system is morethan Inspiration.14:16 We start to brainstorm, in real time, an idea to tiekarma and Inspiration together.15:25 Bards… the pros and cons of the quintessential buffand inspiration class.17:45 Our second change… DM Dave using Inspiration as areaction for the bard from the One D&D playtest in our Dragonlance: Shadowof the Dragon Queen campaign.20:38 Our third change… DM Tony’s method of usingInspiration and other rewards that are active for a single session.24:08 Our fourth change… DM Chris’ method of Inspiration inthe form of Blessings, single-use Magic Items, and Campfire Tales in our Tombof Annihilation campaign.34:30 Introducing the right amount of chaos into your gameand our return to the discussion about the location of the Sunsword in our Curseof Strahd campaign.38:50 A trip down memory lane when you could stack potions…in your belly.39:42 Final Thoughts.

Sharing. It’s one of the first skills that we have to learnas kids and, as anyone who has gamed for long enough, some kids never quitelearned how to do it. Our longtime listener, Jim Laubacker, posed a questionregarding how to best deal with players that won’t share the spotlight. As abonus, Jim is also trying to balance a group that is a hybrid of in-person and virtualplayers!In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave discuss the ways inwhich they’ve adjusted to turn the dominant and passive players weaknesses atthe table into strengths. Additionally, they delve more into the difficultiesthey’ve experienced in running hybrid games and some tips and tricks withdealing with a very new issue in TTRPGs.As always, if you’re in the market for dice (who isn’t?)make sure to check out our affiliate link at FanRoll Dice to receive 10% offyour entire order.1:33 Our listener question – How to deal with players thatwon’t share the spotlight with a bonus wrinkle… the group in question is ahybrid of in-person AND virtual.3:05 Players that are so excited that they want to beinvolved in every scene.4:44 The very heavy lift when dealing with a hybrid table ofpart in-person, part virtual.10:36 The difference between players who are actors andthose who are audience members.15:45 The player that is involved with Every. Single.Activity. And my example that pushes DM Tony’s buttons about spell componentsand wizards…21:00 Narrative side scenes: an easy way to give everyplayer their spotlight.25:45 Review the characters in your session prep: Find thespots in the session for their moments.28:00 There’s no “I” in team (think Avengers over IndianaJones) and how sharing the spotlight can keep the campaign together instead of ending.35:50 Curating your group and turning player weaknesses intostrengths.37:37 Giving players a “power position” to balance out thedominant players(s) – the birth of Little One.43:02 The spectrum of passive vs. dominant players – kind oflike railroads vs. sandboxes.46:20 Final Thoughts.

Happy New Year! Just in time for our 2024 Season, Johnny at For Monster Kids has designed our newest logo, a beautiful homage to the legendary Dave Trampier… let us know what you think!And for our first episode of 2024, we delve into a listener question regarding the players constantly Splitting the Party in their Curse of Strahd campaign and how that’s leading to DM Burnout. But, Splitting the Party is a gift to a DM, isn’t it? I mean, now you can really dial up the tension, right? In a dungeon, or a mansion, or a Keep, sure. But what about when the party is split up into three sections of the campaign world?!In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave discuss strategies for dealing with players who constantly want to run, in essence, three separate games within a single session. Further, we delve again into the very real topic of DM Burnout and finish our Final Thoughts with some prescient wisdom from DM Thorin.As always, check out our affiliate link at FanRoll Dice and receive 10% off your entire order!1:25 Our shout out to Johnny Ott at For Monster Kids for our brand-new logo!2:20 A listener question regarding the constant splitting of the party over the whole map is leading to DM burnout.4:57 Splitting the Party leads to splitting the table into multiple 15-minute blocks. Is that fun?6:10 It’s a Trap! The greatest Fantasy movies, novels, and TV series Split the Party but D&D is a game first and foremost.12:50 D&D is a team sport.13:45 A constantly split party? How running multiple side quest missions can help, if time permits. Also, have you Layeth the Smacketh Down, as The Rock would say?16:00 Tying important details and clues to certain characters can entice the players to stick together.18:20 The difference between being a player at the table and being an audience member.19:40 Don’t even split up in Boston. Our experiences with Call of Cthulhu.22:20 The power curve and the loss of fear in players. “We can take this!”26:00 DM Burnout: The place where player agency and Expectations on your DM meet.32:50 Putting it back to the players. Emotional Intelligence and Empathy at the table.34:25 Encounter Charts that can warn players off certain plans.35:45 Session Zeroes and consistent communication. Making sure everyone has the opportunity for fun, including the DM.37:15 Things are going to happen: Strategies for dealing with side quests.42:18 Final Thoughts, with a flashback to some prescient Final Thoughts wisdom from DM Thorin.

What do Hit Points represent? Who knew that this was a controversial question on par with asking about Alignment? Following our episode reviewing the Avatar Legends RPG and their use of Fatigue and Conditions, we posed the question regarding what hit points represent on our socials and the response was impressive. In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave take a deeper dive into what Hit Points represent in their games, how they describe the loss of them, and how other systems approach one of the oldest traditions of D&D.1:10 DM Dave’s article on Fatigue and Conditions from Avatar Legends.1:45 What do Hit Points represent?4:00 The history of hit points and armor class and the evolution towards 5e.7:50 5e’s “Big Bag of Hit Points” and how DM Tony adjusted for his Journey to Ragnarok campaign.12:30 When the “Big Bag of Hit Points” still doesn’t matter, even in 5e.13:00 DM Dave’s article on Vampyr and the Dark Powers.14:35 Should severe hit point losses carry additional consequences?21:05 The simplicity of hit points to dial up the tension at the table.23:30 How do we envision hit points and how do we ideally like to describe the loss of them.32:48 How 4th edition handled this in a player-centric way through the Bloodied condition.35:45 Lingering Wounds and additional consequences… are they right for YOUR table?39:20 Final Thoughts.

The 3 Wise DMs just played through the new Avatar Legends RPG Starter Set from Magpie Games. Based off the Powered by the Apocalypse system, Avatar Legends is about as different from D&D and Pathfinder as can be. In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave review the Avatar Legends system, the one-shot that we played as well as discuss tips, tricks, and pitfalls to playing completely new systems – how to prepare, how to run, and how to play – for new and experienced DMs and GMs alike.1:00 Yet ANOTHER birthday game playing the new Avatar Legends RPG from Magpie Games.4:30 Running a game that’s so based on a specific pop culture world.7:30 DM Tony LIKED the pre-generated characters?!?9:25 An even easier way of ending single-point failures and having the characters fail forward.14:25 The difference between wargames turned RPG like D&D and roleplay/story-focused games.15:45 How much do players need to be onboarded for lore-heavy systems like Avatar?21:10 The difficulties with running a new system like Avatar Legends for even an experienced DM.23:45 An interesting and cinematic way of approaching hit points through Fatigue and Conditions.32:45 How your preconceptions of RPGs will affect how you play new systems.35:20 How the Avatar Legends Starter Set could help better onboard GMs unfamiliar with the system.42:25 The possibilities of the Powered by the Apocalypse mechanics.43:30 Final Thoughts.Check out our affiliate link at FanRoll Dice to get 10% off your entire order!

We recently" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> shared a post about our Halloween one-shot adventure that we started referring to as the “Kurt Russell Campaign.” Four players, all playing one of the legendary roles made famous by your favorite, and ours, Mr. Kurt Russell. The response was fantastic, so we thought we’d do a deeper dive.In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave are joined by return guests Bonnie and the Monster Wrangler himself, and now official DM, Matt, who decided that for his first official session behind the screen, he was going to do something that might even challenge even seasoned DMs.For all the dice that a character like Jack Burton is probably gonna need, make sure to check out our affiliate link at Fanroll Dice to get 10% off your entire order.1:48 Player Introductions and The Kurt Russell One-Shot.7:40 DM Matt shares the high overview of his homebrew concept for the Kurt Russell One-Shot.11:21 The players experiences with a first-time DM running an incredibly customized homebrew game and lessons learned as a first-time DM.27:20 Preparing for the adventure knowing that nothing will go as you expect it.29:25 Timing a one-shot game to run in the time allotted.31:15 The pros and cons of running a one-shot in a new vs. familiar system. Click here for our episode on D&D as Therapy.34:10 The pros and cons of running your first game as a homebrew vs. published adventure.37:25 Kitbashing to ease your preparation in a homebrew adventure.38:53 Final Thoughts.

Most of us who enjoy TTRPGs like D&D also love board games… classic board games, strategy games, resource management games, and the list goes on. It won’t take long until you as a DM start thinking of implementing some of your favorite board games or board game mechanics into your D&D sessions.In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave discuss the ways that they have utilized their favorite board games and board game mechanics to create some incredibly unique, innovative, and fun game sessions, or in the case of our Dragonlance game, the entire campaign.For all the tumbling dice you need, check out our affiliate link at FanRoll Dice to get 10% off your entire order.3:15 A Christmas “Board” Game in our Curse of Strahd campaign. Click here for the article.8:45 Using a physical board during the session.11:30 Mini games in your session for races, fair games, festivals, and card games.14:00 Using skill challenges and existing game mechanics to build out something completely different: DM Tony’s Murder Mystery game (spoilers: think Clue)17:50 Meeting Sir Miltonus of Bradley… playing through classic Milton Bradley board games in 5e.21:00 A deeper dive into the Murder Mystery game and the difficulties with managing different, high-level skills and abilities.25:00 Our experiences using the Warriors of Krynn strategy game in our Shadow of the Dragon Queen campaign.29:45 Getting ideas from your favorite board games to add to your D&D game.37:00 Final Thoughts.

Spell effects in Fantasy TTRPGs are easily the times when we as DMs and GMs have to respond on the fly to changing parameters. In systems like 5e, we’ve discussed how they’ve crafted a system that does some of the heavy lifting for you when it comes to rulings. But, no matter how many rules exist, you are going to have times that interesting uses of spells make you have to adjudicate in a completely new way.In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave discuss ruling on how spell effects change the landscape and/or battlefield that we ran into in one of our most recent games. Regardless of your newness or your experience, this discussion helps us realize that the old adage of artists is true… “if you want to learn to paint great bricks. Paint one thousand bricks.” As always, please visit our affiliate link at Fanroll Dice to receive 10% off your entire order!1:14 Our listener question… from DM Chris?!?3:15 The difference between Game-Changing and Game-Breaking.8:00 Basing your adjudications on how the NPCs would react in a real-life situation.9:40 Some of the same disadvantages to the NPCs will affect the PCs too.12:50 Shout-out to Sly Flourish’s Fantastic Locations13:30 Incentivize your players into using the environment to their advantage.16:50 The importance of spells and mechanics that change the environment vs. pure damage-dealing.21:45 The Earthquake Incident: managing spells that have incredibly far-reaching effects. 28:20 The DM-Player Agreement: Every adjudication is a prototype and can change.33:15 When to lean into the players intent and when to corral them in.37:45 For every time your players own the bosses, there’ll be times that they get their teeth kicked in.40:40 Final Thoughts.

Roleplay. It’s commonly understood to be one of the three pillars that make up the game of D&D. But, roleplaying between the DM and player is one thing… how do you get your players roleplaying amongst themselves?In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave discuss their best tips in getting players to roleplay amongst themselves, drawing from their games in Tomb of Annihilation, Shadow of the Dragon Queen, Journey to Ragnarok, and their homebrew world of The Further.A game full of great roleplay can get you super jazzed… so how do you get to bed when it’s a school night? Dovetailing into a listener question from Dr. DM, Tony, Chris, and Dave discuss strategies to deal with late night games during the week and how to decompress and “turn your brain off”, so that it doesn’t lead to DM burnout.As always, check out our affiliate link at Fanroll Dice to get 10% off your entire order!1:05 Will Ferrell Scene from Stepbrothers.2:20 Giving the player some stakes or secrets to approach their fellow adventurers with.4:25 What to do when the players will only engage with the DM.5:25 Fireside chats, campfire tales, and other story prompts to assist your players.10:30 Using story prompts and roleplay to create more immersive Hexcrawls.14:00 Prompting a player who’s not engaging with more concrete examples other than abstract roleplay.16:25 Supporting players and teaching them how your game works.17:45 Ending roleplay scenes that have gone too long.26:20 A listener question.28:50 Find an activity to decompress from the session and reset.31:00 Not the best advice: don’t run late games on weeknights.33:00 Lean into your strengths to focus your prep and not overwhelm yourself.34:00 Plot is a couple of paragraphs. The story is what happens when your players meet it.39:15 If your players are interacting amongst themselves, you don’t have to be the battery all the time.44:00 Final Thoughts.

12 players. 2 DMs. 6 dragons. Tiamat. 2 birthday cakes… and a whole hell of a lot of fun! As a companion piece to DM Tony’s recent article, the 3 Wise DMs are joined by some special guests to discuss and detail the lessons learned from running our largest endeavor yet – a massive, multiple-campaign ending game that required 2 DMs to pull off. If you’ve ever thought of running a massive Endgame-style game, or toyed with the idea of co-DMing, this is the episode for you!As always, please visit our affiliate link at FanRoll Dice to receive 10% off your entire dice and dice accessories order!2:20 DM Tony’s concept to create our own Avengers: Endgame style 12-person game tying up loose threads from multiple campaigns.4:10 Our special guest DMs: DM Lenny and the Monster Wrangler himself, Matt!7:50 The epic, blockbuster, action movie-style terrain builds from multiple crafters and how they can add to encounter building. Check out some great tips in our Terrain episode with Scott at Paper Terrain.19:08 How we handled newer players as well as characters that weren’t as tied to the campaign-length storylines we were tying up.21:25 Pro tip: make the adventure hook for a massive game as simple and straightforward as you can: Rescue Baby Walter! Special Add-on - DM Dave finally reveals the mystery of Baby Walter that started in session 1 of our Curse of Strahd campaign!26:00 How to build an adventure that 2 DMs have to run pieces of… including DM Dave’s BIG blunder.28:45 The experience of the newest players at the table and how to provide them enough hook that they have reasons to join the adventure.33:20 Monster Wrangler Matt describes the issues surrounding leveling a character from 7th to 19th, and the adventures missed… as well as a happy accident surrounding Barovia.36:55 The possible pitfalls to look out for that we learned as we rolled out this prototype. 44:10 A deeper dive into the epic climax… the battle with 1 DM running 12 players and Tiamat.46:25 DM Dave’s Rant on the defenses of some Legendary builds (“Bullshitium/Unobtainium”), and thoughts to consider when developing the ultimate BBEG.50:45 The bittersweet nature of high-level play.52:25 The completely unknown nature of Legendary BBEGs when you unload them on your party.56:50 Final Thoughts.

In the immortal words of The Bard… “To roll or not to roll, that is the question…” Rolling dice is the cornerstone of TTRPGs, because without them, as DM Chris says, we’re just telling a story as we play with our GI Joe’s in the backyard. So, when you’re running a session, when do you decide to haventhe players, and yourself, pick up the dice? In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave springboard off a listener question that deals with trying to speed the game up in a homebrewed superhero campaign. From here, the 3 Wise DMs delve deeper into the big question of when to roll and when not to roll.And when you are rolling dice… head over to our affiliate link at FanRoll Dice and receive 10% off your entire order!2:45 Static Damage: The difference between players and DMs.9:30 The “DM Decision Helper”: Using dice to decide who’s attacking who.13:00 Using dice to bring characters back into the action.15:00 When too much rolling can lead to inevitable failure.17:20 Using dice to avoid “Roleplay Slog.”18:30 “Dungeon Crawl Lubricant”: Easing decisions in a dungeon crawl to move the session forward.19:40 The Return of Castle Greyhawk!23:30 Our tangent into the issues with Hexcrawls within 5e.25:40 Rolling dice to affect the Slog Trinity: Combat, Roleplay, or Exploration.32:50 Rolling dice to avoid the DM soliloquy: An example from our Dragonlance campaign.36:30 The time not to roll: Random Treasure.37:40 Final Thoughts – Capes and Crooks from Crit Academy.

Cutscene. In a video game, it’s a scene shown to the player when they reach a particular point in the game, such as at the end of a level or when the player's character dies. The immense popularity of videogaming and the similarities between them and TTRPGs begs the question: Can you, or should you, utilize cutscenes in your game?In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave respond to a listener’s question regarding the idea of “cutscenes” in your TTRPG sessions and how best to deliver narrative, lore, secrets, and clues in a way that keeps your players engaged and doesn’t remove agency from them.And, while keeping your players engaged in your “cutscenes,” and they have to roll some dice, visit our affiliate link at Fanroll Dice to receive 10% off your entire order!3:14 The similarities and differences between RPG video games and TTRPGs and the use of cutscenes.8:10 Using “cutscenes” to deliver narrative and building the scene but NEVER to let the villain get away.10:10 How to deliver lore, secrets, and clues about the game and your world.12:00 The confusion over what “cutscenes” are in a TTRPG.14:50 Your worldbuilding and lore will not all be discovered, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have it ready for when players want to engage with something.17:20 Dreams, Visions, and NPCs – easy ways to deliver your narrative, secrets, and clues.19:55 The lesson to learn from Brandon Sanderson: Be Patient.21:15 DM Dave’s example of Being Patient from our current Dragonlance campaign.27:30 The dirty little D&D secret: players are selfish and want to know how things are affecting them.31:45 Ballad for the Bartender – NPC info hubs for your players.35:00 The use of monologues and cutscenes when dealing with an audience (not players). The MCU Alpha Flight episode.43:48 Final ThoughtsRunning Scenes Outside Your D&D Games

Murderhobos. It’s one of the most discussed issues in any TTRPG discussion. Players who don’t feel like there’s no encounter that can’t be solved by casting “Sword.” But what happens when your party turns out to be what we refer to as “Anti-Murderhobos”? What if the party isn’t motivated to engage and/or end the evil machinations of the Bad Guys? In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave discuss a listener question regarding their Curse of Strahd group who wants to let the evil NPCs in Barovia “Live and Let Live.” When your players finally want to engage with the enemy, make sure to roll some Fanroll Dice, and click on our affiliate link to receive 10% off your entire order!1:50 Batman and Raphael: Cowabummer!3:55 The First Question: Are your characters heroes?5:03 The importance of Session Zero.6:05 Enemies not dead? No problem. The idea of returning villains.7:45 The Second Question: Are your players engaged?10:25 Neutral Superheroes and bringing the fight to your players.15:55 The consequences of inaction.18:55 The importance of player buy-in and understanding player motivations.28:50 If the players don’t care about the NPCs, they probably still care about themselves.33:40 Session Zero as a State of Mind: Reevaluating your campaign.37:50 Final Thoughts.

Magic. It’s the thing that separates Fantasy RPGs from all others. Every other TTRPG can have combat, exploration, social situations… but magic is the secret sauce that makes fantasy special. Many DMs and GMs toss around the idea of “low magic” worlds, but what does that mean exactly? In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave discuss the definitions and parameters of low magic and how we’ve implemented it into our games. Along the way, we share several tips and tricks to limit access to god-like powers in your game!As always, when rolling for any magical effects in your games, make sure to check out our affiliate link at FanRoll Dice and receive 10% off your entire order!2:08 What is the advantage of running a low magic world?3:15 What does low magic mean exactly?6:40 Class abilities and features are oftentimes just asmagical feeling as magic.7:30 Lord of the Rings. The most well-known example of lowmagic?11:30 Limiting spellcasting abilities in Dragonlance toreflect the setting.12:50 Lessons learned from Diablo IV and how too much magicmakes it mundane.14:15 Low Fantasy and making magic cost a lot.17:00 What system are you using? That changes what low magicmight mean.17:45 How much can you curtail what characters can do beforeit’s punitive?23:00 The importance of Session Zero and Campaign Pitches togain player buy-in.26:30 The best DM Hack to Named Magical Items from J.R.R.Tolkien himself.32:25 Low magic can make the world seem more dangerous bykeeping tension high.36:30 If you’re curtailing magic, get player buy-in and workwith your players to create something new.40:40 Final Thoughts

Gold. It’s the perfect representation of the reward mechanic from the earliest days of the White Box. Hell, it even used to represent experience! As a companion piece to our 19th episode on RPG Economics, Tony, Chris, and Dave delve into not just how to make things worth using the gold for, but also the idea of how you, or DO you, account for the treasure that the party finds? And please visit our affiliate link at FanRoll Dice for all your dice and dice accessories and get 10% off your entire order!1:19 Will Ferrell as Neil Diamond.1:30 Episode 19: RPG Economics.2:40 Getting players to agree to how much gold they’ve amassed.5:31 A quick gold tangent: How much gold did Smaug have in The Lonely Mountain?6:40 The party accountant, appraisal, and the endless dividing of coins and gems.9:55 Is it worth it to add the crunchiness of appraising and haggling for the sale of gems?11:50 Is 100 gold pieces a lot? What does it cost to live in your world16:33 Gold needs to be able to purchase things that are important or it’s just a number on a sheet.18:05 How much magic should you be able to purchase before it loses its uniqueness?22:10 The pitfall of trying to account for all the gold of your world.25:35 “Treasure shouldn’t feel like accounting”: Play into the rush of finding treasure.27:15 The cost of upkeep: Strongholds, Followers, Kingdoms, and Warfare!29:18 A shop in the middle of the Underdark… Finding AND moving the treasure you find.31:50 Hirelings in the OSR vs. 5e.34:30 A quick tangent on using Sidekick mechanic from Tasha’s in our Dragonlance campaign.37:09 Final Thoughts

At some point, most DMs pursue the idea of a world and/or a campaign where multiple DMs are running the game. This is an audacious and exciting project, so in this week’s episode, 3 Wise DMs teamed up with our friends, Lewanika, Josh, and Glen at Tabletop Journeys (www.TTJourneys.com), to discuss shared worlds, shared campaigns, and shared universes… as well as all the other discussions that happen when you try to corral six DMs into a conversation.1:33 The first ever DM Duet In history?3:00 Our first tangent… we discuss Dragonlance!7:25 Our second tangent… do things we loved as kids hold up when we grow up?11:25 We revisit the mission of 3 Wise DMs and learn the mission of Tabletop Journeys.17:00 We start the discussion based on our previous episode about sharing worlds (https://3wisedms.com/sharing-rpg-worlds-balancing-pc-power-levels-and-npc-portrayals-across-shared-campaigns-with-multiple-dms/)22:30 Former characters from other games become the most immersive and real NPCs in your world (https://3wisedms.com/ballad-for-the-bartender-3-quick-tips-to-make-npcs-more-interactive-and-meaningful-in-your-dd-game/)24:16 Our third tangent… bringing our parents into our games.26:23 Reconciling mechanics between different games within the same world, like DM Tony’s updated Wand of Wonder (https://3wisedms.com/magic-item-workshop-supercharging-your-wand-of-wonder/)30:40 Some big benefits of a shared world… massive worlds and generational heroes!36:30 Trust your co-DMs to collaborate for the benefit of the entire campaign.40:40 Our fourth tangent… Beatles history.41:50 Using the shared world to ease the transition of players into DMs. 51:00 Digital tools that we’ve used to assist in thecohesion of information in shared campaigns.59:45 We delve again into the benefits of the “Monster Wrangler” from our Curse of Strahd finale (https://3wisedms.com/back-in-black-the-players-wrap-up-to-the-absolutely-epic-curse-of-strahd-finale-with-vampyr-the-star-of-blood/)1:03:29 Our fifth and final tangent… we still haven’treceived the GI Joe USS Flagg!1:07:17 The first-ever outro DM chorus!

The DM Screen. It’s one of the quintessential D&D visuals. But what goes behind it? What lurks behind that foot-high barrier between the characters and the gods? In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave delve into how they use the DM screen, what they want to have behind it, and what they need to have behind it. One thing you do need behind your screen though is dice… so check out our affiliate link with FanRoll dice for all your dice and dice accessories. Go to www.Fanrolldice.com/ref/2871 to get 10% off your entire purchase!1:40 DM Dave’s vitamin-induced fever dream that led to thistopic.3:00 First things first: Session Notes.3:58 The most important thing behind the screen? Yourimagination!4:30 The DM Screen. 6:05 A little D&D History tangent about the DM screen.6:45 What’s behind depends on what game you’re running: terrain,maps, and minis, oh my!8:45 Even with a DM screen, you don’t have to hide the dicerolls.9:15 A laptop/tablet as a DM screen.12:06 Even without terrain, maps, minis – still prepare somegood visuals.15:10 How to easily introduce music into the session – also,check out Matt Mercer’s DM Screen Gamemaster Tips   https://youtu.be/YRMVTmbe-Is17:45 No one sees the NPCs or landscapes the same way… setit in their mind.23:15 Take a lesson from block text: have some preppeddescriptors for important scenes and NPCs.24:45 How Roll20 and VTT’s make the entire internet your DMscreen.26:30 Think like a “Road DM.” What are the essentials?32:10 Putting up the DM screen for one character – Character-specificnarrative outside of the game.33:50 The Campaign 3-Ring Binder.34:30 Fodder for another episode – the sequel to RPG Economics  https://3wisedms.com/the-3-wise-dms-podcast/rpg-economics-what-can-payers-do-with-all-that-gold/36:50 High Fantasy=Low Magic – another aside.40:18 Final Thoughts

We’ve talked about it many times on the podcast. We’ve been waiting for a chance to run it. We finally did! DM Dave ran us through an old-school dungeon crawl for our friend Scott's birthday with the Basic Fantasy Roleplaying RPG. In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave review the pros and cons of returning to Basic Moldvay-era D&D with the OSR. Final verdict: More pros than cons… try it out!For any Dice and Dice Accessories, visit our affiliate link at www.FanRollDice.com/ref/2871 for 10% off your entire purchase!2:16 D&D meets Call of Cthulhu – Everything Will KillYou!4:50 The ease of character creation and how weak that makesyou.6:50 When Intelligence Mattered! The shift in stats.8:40 Limited abilities and resources can streamline the playexperience.10:20 When Fighters were the most boss class.13:45 The ease of running an adventure, especially the basicstat block.16:20 Back when Wizards were just weak, old dudes.17:00 But… spells were REALLY powerful.19:45 DM Chris’ biggest con? Dying.21:00 Constant death works against long-arc stories – optionsfor dealing with death because we only care about Ned Stark because he lastedfor all of Season 1.27:50 The soul-crushing experience of old school ExperiencePoints.30:00 Our Dragonlance Campaign tangent about making NPCsmatter to the players.34:40 Basic D&D makes waves of enemy monsters feasibleto run in a single encounter that doesn’t take all night.38:40 Why go into a dungeon? MAGIC and TREASURE!40:22 Final Thoughts.

Sleep takes you as you wrap yourself into your bedroll in your campsite in the forest. Your slumber is surprisingly restful this night. As you wake in the morning, you find yourself having taken an Oath to a God and possessing several new spells… Not very satisfying, right? We can all understand that Fighters and Rogues just get better at doing the things they do, but what about Paladins, Warlocks, Clerics, etc… characters that gain incredibly powerful class abilities that are not of this world? In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave discuss how they make character choices in leveling matter more when it comes to BIG class changes.1:00 Check out our affiliate link at www.FanRollDice.com/ref/2871for 10% off your entire dice and accessories order!2:40 Easiest way to start making these choices matter?Backstories!4:00 Using narrative outside the session to help fill outthe big character changes… Oaths, Patrons, etc.5:30 Not just for the DM – taking the initiative as a playerwith your character development.7:10 Have a story reason for big character changes withabilities, feats, etc.9:00 How we handle players that play classic archetypes in unconventionalways.11:30 Making Oaths to Gods and Deities carry the weight theyrequire.12:40 Are Warlocks inherently evil?15:10 What do Warlock patrons want? 18:45 DM-Player Communication to fit mechanical choices intothe overall story.23:45 An Aside: DM Tony’s new method of multiclassing thatwe’re using in Journey to Ragnarök.26:40 Believable Character progression is the spice in yourcampaign stew.27:50 Let the players help you plant the seeds for theirchoices that create the story.34:50 Final Thoughts.

Running a game is a lesson in balance. There are so many dials and mechanics that you need to manage while also focusing on being what Gary Gygax referred to as “the Shaper of the Cosmos.” Anyone who has started running games or been running for decades has found hacks to make running the game that much easier and streamlined. In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave discuss their favorite DM hacks that we’ve employed in our games.1 :30 Hack# 1: Where are we going next? Focusing your prep.2:30 Hack# 2: Session Prep Notes 5:20 Hack# 3: Create a Session Prep Template7:00 Hack# 4: Outline your session – create scenes8:15 Hack# 5: Write down your recap – Previously On…10:00 Hack# 6: Players recapping the adventure – taking thecampaign’s temperature12:00 Hack# 7: Recording your recap – cranking up the drama15:40 Hack# 8: Google Docs17:00 Hack# 9: Secrets, Clues, Scenes & Encounters – TheQuantum Ogre Campaign19:00 Hack# 10: Streamline your Stat Blocks20:50 Hack# 11: Static Damage… who wants to add up 40d6 damage?!?23:10 Hack# 12: Delegate the DM duties – Return of theMonster Wrangler!25:00 Hack# 13: Static Initiative? 27:20 Hack# 14: There’s an app for that – using technologyto your advantage28:30 Hack# 15: Spell crib notes when running yourspellcasters31:30 Hack# 16: Scripting Monster Tactics – Monster Shorthand38:10 Hack# 17: Adjusting the hit point dial… start with maximumhit points42:20 Hack# 18: Get a sense of your party’s Damage per Round50:00 Final Thoughts

Game groups fall apart. It’s as inevitable as the rain. What do you do when your current group goes south, but you still have a player who wants to continue? Do you continue with the current campaign? Do you now run the entire rest of the party, the monsters, and all the NPCs? The 3 Wise DMs answer long-time listener Jared’s question about his Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign and delve deeper into utilizing Sidekicks, DMPCs, and other tips with one-on-one gaming.0:51 Co-host introduction… whom could it be?1:48 Long-time listener Jared asks for our wisdom3:23 How do you approach running a game for one person?5:10 In a duet experience, how do you run all of themonsters, sidekicks, and NPCs?6:05 Introduction of DM Chris, DM Tony, and DM Dave’s sharedhomebrewed world of The Further.8:05 A proactive player is key when running a solo player.9:45 Adjusting encounter difficulty when you have fewer than4 players.11:45 Where the Sidekick mechanic from TCoE comes in handy.14:14 When using Sidekicks or DMPCs, make sure they don’tsteal the spotlight from your players.16:50 How far are you willing to go to not steal thespotlight from your players?19:20 The DM Tax…22:20 Using the Sidekick or DMPC as a classic “Gandalf”mechanic.24:00 What if your “Gandalf” ally doesn’t seem to knowanything? 27:00 What if Gandalf reveals the secret, but Frodo wasn’tfreaking listening?31:10 Riddles… DM Dave is kind of over them.33:50 When campaigns fall apart… what to do?37:30 Final Thoughts

New DMs. It’s easily the most discussed topic in the TTRPG hobby. We’ve talked before about tips and tricks for new DMs looking to run their first games. However, this week, we got the chance to sit down with our return guest Chris and his brand-new to all things fantasy, D&D, and DMing friend, Lenny Szot… who decided to dive into the deep end and run his first game ever! Throughout the episode, we detail 13 tips and tricks to help but, in the end, Lenny’s advice is the most succinct: Just Do It!0:53 Guest DM Intros.1:37 Newbie DM Lenny’s Intro.3:46 Obstacles to DMing as a complete beginner to TTRPGs.5:55 The esoteric jargon that we all take for granted.11:23 Tip #1: DMs helping DMs.13:28 Tip #2: Getting the players invested and running yourfirst game.23:19 Tip #3: The ultimate beginner’s trap to avoid.24:18 Tip #4: Being a “Head Up” DM.25:49 Tip #5: Run the Starter Set in whatever system you’replaying - DM Dave has been vindicated!27:40 Tip #6: Using the Pregens.28:50 Tip #7: Get the players rolling dice.30:45 The continuing debate of pregens vs creatingcharacters!34:10 Breaking down the rules – what you need and what youdon’t.35:25 Tip #8: It’s probably in the Dungeon Masters Guide!36:25 The true BBEG: Schedules!37:38 Tip #9: You never grow in your comfort zone.40:00 Tip #10: Lean into developing and presenting yourNPCs.41:20 Tip #11: Published adventures are a guide, not aBible.43:08 Tip #12: Be a player!45:33 Tip #13: Have a sense of the rules but, as DM Lennysaid… “Just Do It!”47:15 Final Thoughts

In this episode, Tony and Dave sit down with our good friend and fellow gamer, Scott Washburn of Paper Terrain (www.paperterrain.com) to discuss the tradition of using terrain, maps, and minis from the earliest days of the game up to our current times. Along the way, we discuss how we have used and continue to use physical props to enhance our games as well as the tips and tricks to ease the burden on the DM.1:35 Scott’s Story.3:30 The mythical “White Box.”5:20 Minis evolution from wargaming to tabletop.11:05 Terrain on a college student’s budget.12:05 The “Dungeon” in Dungeons & Dragons – the wildsare too dangerous!13:10 The strange dwarven talent of “Detecting SlopingFloors.”14:50 Wait… I need to buy a companion game to play OD&D?18:10 Our first experiences playing with Scott’sprofessional terrain, maps, and minis.22:00 Monster Wrangler? How about the Terrain/Mini Wrangler?24:00 The evolution of terrain in wargaming and how it canflow into your D&D game.27:00 The how-to of DIY terrain and the building of MountGhakis, Tsolenka Pass, and the Amber Temple for our Curse of Strahd campaignfinale.30:50 Tips and tricks for DIY terrain that ISN’T an entiremountaintop vista.32:50 Our return to the idea of the Terrain and MinisWrangler – make friends w/ artificers!34:15 The epic Mount Ghakis finale build… and how to notliterally build yourself into a corner.38:20 The when, why, and how of utilizing terrain, maps, andminis for your game (and a sneak peek into the beginnings of our newDRAGONLANCE campaign!)47:50 Scale for minis and terrain for your TTRPG (25 mm) andthe bane of wargaming… Scale Creep!49:25 Final Thoughts.

Hello and welcome BACK to 3 Wise DMs! It’s been quite some time and we’re glad that we’re back… Back in Black, that is - like Vampyr, our epic, final BBEG to end all BBEGs in Barovia. We thought that it worked out that the absolute, final ending to our 2+ year Curse of Strahd campaign coincided almost perfectly with the initial launch of 3 Wise DMs – and that deserves a proper sendoff. So, we gathered the players, the Monster Wrangler (what’s that?), and the DM to discuss how we homebrewed the second half of our adventures in Barovia after the dread vampire lord was defeated while staying true to the setting and the tone. For everyone wanting to continue with your 5e games after your players hit 11th level and the book finishes, this is the episode for you!Time Stamps0:20 – Thank you to the listeners.1:10 – Where do we go from here?1:30 – Episode Intro.2:50 – Player Introductions.6:05 – The Monster Wrangler: What is it and how to use them?9:05 – How to delegate responsibilities to the Monster Wrangler to help manage the session.10:40 – First impressions of Scott’s table set-up of Mount Ghakis, Tsolenka Pass, and the Amber Temple.19:01 – The Psychology of D&D: how the characters mowed through 2000+ hit points without a rest, yet still felt the tension.27:30 – DM Dave FINALLY dropped the Bear Totem Barbarian.28:50 – A DM Regret: How we completed every character arc except one. 31:00 - Lore dumps to set the scene to complete a character arc. Do they work?34:50 - How we homebrewed the 2nd half of the adventure without losing the original tone.40:50 – What worked and what didn’t with keeping the realness of Barovia after the published adventure is complete.47:30 – How to best onboard your Monster Wrangler so they can succeed.54:00 – Communicating when side information needs to be shared as opposed to can be shared.55:50 – How the frequency of play can affect immersion and using narrative out-of-game communication to make up for it.59:25 – Final Thoughts.

How do you bring a 4-year Dungeons & Dragons campaign to a satisfying, epic ending? With an epic, solo boss. Some would say you shouldn’t do that in D&D 5E because the action economy favors a more numerically balanced battle. But with seven level-15 PCs, that’s exactly how we finished off the main quest in DM Thorin’s homebrew, mostly improv, campaign.We realize that reviewing a homebrew campaign is different from Curse of Strahd or Storm King’s Thunder – after all, you can’t go pick up the contents of Thorin’s head at the bookstore. But everyone should try their hand at homebrew at one point or another, and this episode is choc full of tips and feedback for creative DMs everywhere. That includes frank discussion of what worked, what didn’t, our biggest challenges (looking at you, Roll20), where the world seemed too shallow, and what was most interesting in this long-running homebrew D&D campaign. We hope it helps you craft even better games for your table.1:00 Wrapping up the 4-year Woodstock Wanderers campaign4:00 The final showdown with the Malbion, a solo archmage made to face seven 15th-level players12:00 Just the right amount of wrong: How to make the PCs hate the villain without making them hate the game19:00 What was different in DMing a homebrew game vs. a WotC published campaign 25:00 How the transition from in-person to Roll20 affected the game (and not for the better)28:00 Home-made terrain (by our crafty player Scott of Paper Terrain) made in-person gaming even cooler32:00 What did we like about the campaign?38:00 The deal with the GOO: Instigating party tension and temptation50:00 What was most memorable (besides Ghatanothoa and the final battle)?58:00 What would DM Thorin change if he had it to do all over again and what were his high points?64:00 What didn’t work?66:00 Advice for homebrew DMs68:00 Final thoughts

Secrets: Are they powerful character-building tools or TPK time bombs waiting to destroy your RPG campaign? We’ve seen it go both ways, from character background secrets that added depth and immersion for the player to secrets pacts that saw PCs murdered in-game by other PCs. Is that second one a failure? That depends on your group, but it certainly wasn’t what the DM had in mind.In this episode, Thorin, Tony and Dave talk about secrets in the game, how they’ve worked out in their campaigns, and times when they went disastrously wrong! 2:00 A listener question: How do you DM around a player character with a secret? 6:00 How PC secrets have played out in our games15:00 Using secrets and rewards to tempt player characters into doing … interesting things21:00 When secrets go wrong: That time DM Tony assassinated another player character and more stories28:00 Secrets in characters’ backgrounds can add depth and enhance roleplay32:00 Is it a successful secret if it never gets revealed in the game?39:00 Even when secrets go bad, it’s usually a pretty good story42:00 Final thoughts

Super-powered archmages, alien vampire gods, Tiamat and the devil himself – once your campaign crosses about level 15, it’s all on the table. But the same is true for super-powerful spells, legendary artifacts, and a hundred other things that make the players as tough as your wildest villain creations. This is why epic-tier play just isn’t the same as everything your campaign has been through before. As you hit the endgame of your campaign, a couple things happen. First, your story should be coming to a head, which means the game gets less flexible, but you still need to allow room for player agency. At the same time, the game gets a little crazy. This is when it pays off to bring in your coolest ideas for monsters, magic items, and more. You want the ending to be memorable and unique. In this episode, Thorin, Tony and Dave talk about how they bring their games into the epic tier, what changes, and how they shift from story-building to creating a really satisfying end. Along the way, they talk about their own campaigns entering the final leg, the BBEG villains they’ve introduced and how to spar with a high-level party without the PCs or BBEG getting killed before the big showdown.1:00 Several of our games just crossed level 15, and this is how they feel different4:00 The Malbion and Vampyr: Super-charged endgame villains in our campaigns 8:00 Why the endgame is a bad time to introduce the deck of many things13:00 Introducing the BBEG, the first fight with them and shifting focus to the climax of the campaign31:00 Make sure the players don’t lose their agency as you start wrapping up the story44:00 Should you let your party talk the Great Old One back to sleep?51:00 How high-level spells change the game for the players and villains56:00 What’s awesome about moving into higher-level play60:00 Final thoughts

Do you walk around talking in funny voices? Are you constantly thinking about how game mechanics apply to real-world situations? Have you ever turned a person or thing you know into a Dungeons and Dragons monster? (Did you have your players kill that monster?) … Then you, too, may be a quirky Dungeon Master.DMing certainly isn’t subtle. The little things we do to prep for sessions and keep the game fresh can seem a bit … well … weird. Sometimes they even drive our loved ones a little nuts. But still, they come out. Because your DM quirks are part of who you are, and no one can stop that vibe. So, at a listener’s request, here are 11-plus things the 3 Wise DMs do that are definitely a bit quirky. Maybe you can relate to them?2:00 A listener question: Do you guys have any quirky DM habits?4:00 Weird quirk #1: Our wives and girlfriends are begrudging sounding boards8:00 Weird quirk #2: Random pop culture quotes and inspiration come out anytime, anywhere, to any audience15:00 Weird quirk #3: Where do your RPG books live and how do you use them?23:00 Weird quirk #4: Bringing in people from outside the game26:00 Weird quirk #5: The silly voices we practice around the house34:00 Weird quirk #6: DM Tony hates shopping in-game35:00 Weird quirk #7: DM Dave’s goblin market36:00 Weird quirk #8: Standing over the table and walking around the room while DMing37:00 Weird quirk #9: DM Thorin brings Lovecraft into D&D … in every campaign38:00 Weird quirk #10: The super analog DM40:00 Weird quirk #11: Dice quirks we all have42:00 “All of a Sudden!” – quirky things we’ve seen other DMs do50:00 Final thoughts

Has SEAL Team 6 rolled up on your D&D 5E dungeon yet? You know the party we mean: Archers, wizards, sorcerers, warlocks, ranged assassins … and not a single melee tank among them. Just hundreds of points of damage pouring into your helpless melee monsters from football fields away. It was near impossible to make the all-ranged party work in earlier editions, but in Dungeons and Dragon 5E, it can work shockingly well. It can even “ruin” the campaign for DMs who don’t know how to handle it. On the other hand, if you make them spend all their time shut away in bare 10’ dungeon corridors, that ruins the fun for the party and likely ends in a level-1 TPK.So how do you DM the all-ranged party so you and the players all have fun? In this episode of 3 Wise DMs, Thorin, Tony and Dave talk about their experiences DMing and playing D&D 5E’s powerful ranged classes and how you can bring balance to the field, even when it’s raining death like the beaches of Normandy.1:00 A listener question: What do you do when the party is built like a Navy SEAL Sniper Team?2:00 D&D 5E party composition vs. old-school D&D4:00 How our parties are built and the many flavors of ranged characters we’ve played11:00 The tactical challenge of threatening ranged parties with D&D 5E monsters14:00 What do we think of firearms in fantasy D&D 5E?20:00 How do you build encounters that start more than 100 feet away?28:00 The impact of long-range combat on non-ranged PCs35:00 Should you pressure the party to add more front-line characters?40:00 How often should you use encounters that totally nullify the range advantage?45:00 Final thoughts

Player character deaths happen in all Dungeons and Dragons games and other TTRPGs … don’t they? Should you be worried about killing PCs, or is it fine to let the dice fall where they may? When is it OK to kill a character and how do you make sure the player is still into the game with their new PC? Is it even the DM’s choice?These questions come to us from a reader, but they’re not as simple as they may first sound. Sure, let the dice fall where they may and if characters die, so be it … But is that always the best thing to do? We think of ourselves as “if it dies, it dies” DMs, but at the same time, we really haven’t killed many PCs in any of our 5E games. Listen in to hear how Thorin, Tony and Dave handle character death and when/how/why it is OK to kill a player character.1:00 Listener question: Is there ever a good time to kill a character? How to move forward after that?2:00 Whether or not a player dies is not up to the DM, it’s a consequence of the situation4:00 Have any of us actually killed a character in 5E? Well, one of us has10:00 It is hard to permanently kill a player in 5E17:00 Will D&D 5E remove short rests from the game?21:00 Do players want their characters to die more often? Is that the environment you want in your game?26:00 Is PC death the most interesting thing that can happen in this situation?31:00 The issue with undoing too many deaths: There need to be problems magic can’t just solve34:00 When is it OK to kill a PC in a way that can’t be undone (i.e., Finger of Death or Disintegrate)?36:00 The fear of character death is more useful than actual player character death43:00 Before you kill a character “for plot reasons,” make sure their player is on-board with the plan49:00 What do you do after a player character dies? 56:00 How do you introduce the new character?59:00 A process for fitting new player characters into existing campaigns101:00 Is there ever an appropriate time to TPK a party?65:00 Final thoughts

Every good campaign — whether it’s Dungeons and Dragons 5E, Call of Cthulhu, Marvel FASERIP, or any other system — has multiple factions for PCs to interact with. You may only need to flesh out criminals and guards, or you could build a world with dozens of competing factions all looking to use the PCs to their advantage. Whatever role factions play in your campaign, how do you build them out?In this episode, an old friend of the show brings a new question to Thorin, Tony and Dave: How do you build and use factions? We go deep into the factions in our games, how we created or adopted them, and the different roles factions can play in your TTRPG.2:00 A listener question: Jared is back and asking about how we build and use factions9:00 Start with the role you want the faction to play19:00 Different kinds of factions we use and how we use them to add depth to the game22:00 Making your factions more than just another group of quest givers34:00 How we create factions and the people in them45:00 Final thoughts

Foreshadowing is a powerful tool for any storyteller, but it can be hard to use effectively at the campaign table. Whether you’re playing D&D or another role-playing game, you’re really DMing against your players’ distractions. And a table full of food, phones and click-clackety math rocks can hide subtle hints more effectively than the rug you put them under. On the other hand, if you hit your players over the head with foreshadowing, it can ruin your surprises and turn the plot into a running table joke. So can you use foreshadowing in your games in ways your players will notice but not too easily? In this episode, Thorin, Tony and Dave talk about how they use foreshadowing in their games, what’s worked and not worked for them in the past, and tell a few campaign stories about DMing with an eye on the future of your story.2:00 A listener question: How do you foreshadow major events without beating your players over the head?10:00 The tactics of foreshadowing and how to hint that the joke character is actually the BBEG 18:00 What to do when the players don’t remember your foreshadowing23:00 How foreshadowing in a TTRPG is different from a book or movie, and that changes what works and doesn’t work32:00 Storytime: How foreshadowing has worked out in some of our campaigns36:00 Give them something to do with it: How players remember details and experience foreshadowing39:00 Final thoughts

One of the best new mechanics in Dungeons and Dragons 5E is the advantage/disadvantage system. It’s simple, elegant and we’ve played several other games that have blatantly stolen it. We think it’s here to stay. But the decision of when to apply discretionary advantage and disadvantage falls on the DM, and the many mechanical ways players have to get advantage themselves sometimes conflict with the DM’s intent when awarding advantage.In this episode, hear how Thorin, Tony and Dave handle advantage and disadvantage along with plus and minus modifiers in their games along with plenty of examples from our gaming history (including the time a PC talked the DM into letting him one-shot the BBEG at 3rd level when they caught the guy simply walking across the road). You’ll also hear how you can use these mechanics to create the kind of game you want to run without making combat and skill checks overcomplicated or letting them overshadow the story. 2:00 Answering a listener question: How to DM high ground and when do we use discretionary advantage? 3:00 The math and mechanical impact of D&D 5E’s advantage and disadvantage6:00 How we each approach advantage and disadvantage17:00 Using these modifiers in combat vs. out-of-combat skill checks22:00 Called Crits Gone Wild! How one player rules lawyered his way into one-shotting the campaign BBEG at 3rd level27:00 The danger of excessive modifiers and complexity slowing combat down even more30:00 More thoughts on how to reward high ground and why it may be best to hold onto advantage/disadvantage for discretionary use31:00 Specifically, when do we use discretionary advantage and disadvantage?40:00 DM inspiration and the case for stacking multiple inspirations42:00 When do we use disadvantage?46:00 Final thoughts

Would you allow a player to bring a pregnant PC into your game? That’s the question listener Joel brings to us for this episode. And while at first, it caught us off-guard, we realized this doesn’t need to be a deal-breaker. In fact, not many PC backstory requests need to be a deal-breaker. It all depends on how you implement them in your fantasy game.In this episode, Thorin, Tony and Dave take a deeper look at how to DM a pregnant character without ruining their game. We also look at the starting character requests we’ve gotten and how we made them work in our campaigns. 1:00 A listener question: A new PC wants to start with a 2-month pregnant character, is this a veto situation?5:00 A few important questions: Who wants to play the character, why, and how does it fit the table?10:00 As long as the character isn’t disruptive to the table, why veto it? Talk to the player about their expectations of how it plays out in the game15:00 Look at how books and TV shows handle pregnant characters – is the baby supernatural itself?19:00 When would we veto a character concept?26:00 How DM Tony’s upgraded Wand of Wonder faired in field testing33:00 Wild PC requests we’ve gotten, from doomed nobles to ghost PCs, and how we handled them41:00 Old-Timers: DMing PCs that want to start the game as older, experienced characters49:00 Final Thoughts

What are the most important things every dungeon master (or game master) needs to know? In the 100th episode of 3 Wise DMs, Thorin, Tony and Dave run down the biggest things they’ve learned about running RPGs from Dungeons and Dragons to Marvel to Call of Cthulhu over two years of intensive gaming and discussion on this podcast. This has been like a 2-year DMing workshop for all of us, and we hope you’ve learned as much from it as we have. How do you make sure your game gets off on the right foot? Is your plot too complex? How do you keep combat from killing the game and your players? Hear the answers to these questions and more in this centennial episode of 3 Wise DMs.2:00 The most intense 2 years of DMing in our lives4:00 Lesson 1: It’s a partnership with your players5:00 Lesson 2: Session 0 can be the difference between a great campaign and utter failure11:00 Lesson 3: Game recaps before the session let you influence what the players remember and refresh your own memory15:00 Lesson 4: Don’t make the story too complex21:00 Lesson 5: Don’t count on the whole party listening during other player’s solo moments22:00 Lesson 6: Too many hard fights in a row will make your players feel like you’re trying to kill them23:00 Lesson 7: Combats need to be meaningful and not just slogs 24:00 Lesson 8: If the tension is always high, it never is25:00 Lesson 9: Balance upbeats and downbeats26:00 Lesson 10: It’s very easy for 5E combat to take a long time28:00 Lesson 11: For some players, combat is their least favorite part of D&D29:00 Lesson 12: DM Tony’s formula for RPG session clock management30:00 Lesson 13: Spend your prep time on the important things: Your plot and story31:00 Lesson 14: Some DMs need prep to be able to improvise effectively and enjoyably at the table35:00 Lesson 15: NPCs – “serve fewer dishes, but better dishes”37:00 Lesson 16: The best way to get better at DMing is to DM a lot – it’s more important to run a game than to run a great game40:00 Lesson 17: Protect the continuity of your game – even if you have to kill the whole party to do it45:00 Lesson 18: Listen to your players to understand what they really want for their characters50:00 Lesson 19: Let the role players eat, but know how to bring other players to the table, too52:00 Lesson 20: Always be experimenting with new techniques, mechanics, prep, etc.54:00 Lesson 21: The ideal length for descriptions is about 3 lines56:00 Lesson 22: Follow your inspiration57:00 Final thoughts on what we’ve learned from 100 episodes of 3 Wise DMs

Wizards of the Coast – and just about every other RPG company – puts out a lot of pre-made, boxed settings, and even more are made by third-party publishers. But in a game where you can play anywhere your imagination can create and customize the rules exactly how you want them, why use pre-made settings at all? That’s the question posed to us by a listener this week who’s gotten the itch to play a campaign in Dark Sun but is wondering why it has a hold on him.There are a lot of pros and cons for using boxed settings and creating your own settings, and the 3 Wise DMs dabble in both in their own ways. Here’s what Thorin, Tony and Dave think of using pre-made settings, what makes a good setting, how they make them their own and how they pull elements of existing settings into their homebrew settings, too. 2:00 A listener question: Why use a book world instead of building your own, especially Dark Sun8:00 Why build your own homebrew setting?13:00 Dark Sun the cannibal world: How the setting should help set player expectations21:00 Kit-bashing pieces and characters from established worlds into each other and into your homebrew31:00 The dangers of altering well-known settings and characters too far for your own purposes39:00 What makes a good pre-made world?46:00 Never spurn a muse: Follow the settings that inspire you51:00 Final thoughts

Ending a long-running Dungeons & Dragons campaign (or any TTRPG) can be one of the most intimidating moments for a DM. You’ve managed to carry the momentum, tension, and player interest for dozens of sessions over perhaps years. How do you wrap all that up into a few final sessions that leave you and your players feeling like it all paid off? In this episode, Thorin, Tony and Dave answer a reader question all about taking your campaign past the point of no return, to the end-game, and beyond. How do you build tension heading into the final session? How do you make sure your ending grows organically from the quest? How do you customize that fight so it’s challenging and satisfying? The 3 Wise DMs talk about it all in this week’s podcast. 3:00 A listener question: How do you bring a long-running campaign to a satisfying, not rushed conclusion6:00 Limit the number of loose ends you need to wrap up9:00 The game ends when the story ends, not when you run out of levels12:00 Building tension as you approach the end game16:00 Customizing your BBEG encounter for the party when they meet it22:00 Taking the temperature of the party: Are they ready for the end?30:00 The end game should develop organically from the adventure arc37:00 The end of the campaign doesn’t have to mean the end of these PCs40:00 How to plan out the end of your campaign by the session44:00 Final thoughts

We’ve talked about DMPCs before, but now Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything has added a new way for DMs to have an avatar in the game to help PCs out, cover any weak spots, or just have a view across the table: The sidekick.The sidekick mechanics work a little differently than a straight DMPC (which is essentially a leveling PC that DM runs in the party). Which one is right for your campaign? That’s the question Minnesota DM brings us this week: “When making a party-companion NPC to fill the healing role, is it better to make it a character class or use the sidekick option from Tasha’s Cauldron on Everything?”In this episode, Thorin, Tony and Dave break down how they handle party companions in their games, what they think of the sidekick mechanic, and how to run a sidekick or DMPC who doesn’t overshadow the party.3:00 A listener question: If you want to add a DM character to help the party, is it better to add a DMPC or sidekick?5:00 DMPCs and sidekicks, what’s the difference?12:00 How Tasha’s sidekicks work17:00 How we would approach DMPC vs. sidekick in our games20:00 Do DMPCs cause problems with your players?26:00 Will your sidekick or DMPC wind up playing Penny to the PC’s Inspector Gadget?30:00 What makes a good sidekick: Fun ideas and examples from pop culture34:00 Do you have time to create and play a sidekick with enough personality to do them justice?43:00 Final thoughts

DM prep: It can be the most important thing to putting on a good game or the biggest obstacle keeping you from getting back behind the screen. Some DMs say the most important thing to remember is to not over-prepare, but YouTube DM guru Ginny Di recently called this The Worst advice new DMs hear, and that it actually hurt her development as a young DM.Is “don’t over-prepare” bad DMing advice? There’s a lot to dig into there. In this episode, Thorin, Tony and Dave take a close look at Ginny Di’s take, the different ways they approach prep, the pros and cons of trying to DM without over-preparing, and how new DMs can find the right level of prep for them. 2:00 “The worst DM advice that everyone gets” from Ginny Di6:00 Lightening the game up: Where “don’t over-prepare” comes from and where it goes wrong13:00 Should the DM be responsible for doing a ton of prep for each game? Is that fun?18:00 Managing pre-game anxiety: When you’re not prepared, do you still enjoy running the game?21:00 Learning what you need to prep to have a fun game30:00 How appropriate prep is different in different types of games40:00 The Tolantia Infiltration: The high-prep and low-prep ways to do a spy mission46:00 Ways to prep more effectively and with less waste53:00 How does a new DM find the level of prep that’s right for them?63:00 Final thoughts

Rich, vivid descriptions bring your fantasy world to life. Unfortunately, they can also lead your players to think that the intricately carved and decorated elven bridge they’re crossing has to be an important clue or secret! If it weren’t, why would the DM have given it such a cool description?This is the curse of the red herring: When you’re casually monologuing details to give the world depth, and the players lock onto something that you meant to be insignificant. Next thing you know, they’re spending 3 hours trying to investigate a mystery that isn’t there. Now, you can always put a mystery there to pay off their curiosity, but that doesn’t always fit the plans, timeframe or story you wanted to cover in this session. So, what do you do? Stop describing the world? Slap the players’ hands to get them back on track? Ditch your story and follow their lead?In this episode, Thorin, Tony and Dave talk about red herrings they’ve seen get out of control and what they do in their games to try to back to the story … if they can. 3:00 A listener question: What to do when players think every detail you describe is hiding a mystery?6:00 Sometimes DM-PC miscommunications are an opportunity for better storytelling10:00 Balancing descriptions: What you spend time on the players will spend time on12:00 Baby Walter and the creative power of player investment19:00 Managing red herrings with consistent descriptions26:00 How “Gotchya” moments lead to future DM-Player miscommunication30:00 Getting the party back on track and off of the false lead38:00 What really are the important scenes and secrets in your game?42:00 Final thoughts

What’s some of the tedious stuff you have to do as a DM that you really wish had an easy button? Why does WotC make some essential DMing info hard to find (or at least hard to find while you’re trying to run a game)? This idea comes from Kaila Evans on Twitter, DM of the Comedy of Terrors podcast, who posted, “I've been waiting for some OG Dungeon Master to show up and starting giving us all some wicked obscure advice on the craft nobody ever heard of yet. Like maybe there's a hidden page in the DMG where the cost of magic items is fucking calculated already.” Well, we’re OGs, so in this episode, we’re going to talk about the tricks and tips we use to try to make DM chores from magic item pricing to map making and initiative tracking less tedious and more fun. And, spoiler alert, it’s different for all of us because every DM has different things they find tedious in running the game. Here’s our best advice, let us know in the comments if this advice is wise or just makes things even more complicated.2:00 How can you make DMing less tedious?4:00 Making it easier to go magic item shopping23:00 What’s tedious for you? Identify the aspects of DMing that you want to spend your time on and what you don’t28:00 How little prep can you get away with without introducing plot holes31:00 Maps hacks, and how often do you really need them? 35:00 Don’t be afraid to ask your players to handle some of the things you find tedious, from initiative tracking to map making (and here’s how Thorin runs his combats).46:00 Tracking (or not tracking) PC gold and other character sheet violations57:00 Do you use and track spell components?59:00 Why D&D 5E doesn’t always make things easy to find64:00 Final thoughts

The oldest Dungeons & Dragons books said the game was for 4 to 50 players, and we know people who DMed white box D&D campaigns with groups in the 20s. But that was then, and D&D 5th Edition runs into a lot of issues once you pass a certain number of players. So, what do you do when your game is already at 6 players and 3 more want to join? That’s the question posed by one of our listeners in this week’s episode of 3 Wise DMs.How many players can you comfortably DM at one time in D&D 5E? How does that compare to earlier editions and other systems? And what do you do when your group passes that number? In this episode, Thorin, Tony and Dave talk about how many players is too many, the reasons it becomes a problem, tips and tricks for managing the chaos, and when to break the game up into two groups. 3:00 A listener question: How to handle a 6-player game when 3 more people want to join?7:00 The challenges of managing combat and story with a lot of players12:00 More players can make the game less interesting because managing their turns cuts into time for other things, even the DM’s descriptions and narrative18:00 What’s the ideal number of players for a game, and is that different across systems?22:00 Ditch the battle map? Ways to streamline the game for more players32:00 Can you split the party up into two or more groups? 46:00 Final thoughts

Many RPG campaigns end with the players taking over kingdoms, wizard colleges, crime syndicates or other powerful organizations in the world as a sort of epilogue. But what about when they want to take these titles during the campaign and actively run their new empires? How do you handle putting your player characters in charge of powerful organizations in your world as an active part of the game?In this episode, Thorin, Tony and Dave take on a listener question about how to let PCs take on these responsibilities in the game without ruining the fun. Here’s how the 3 Wise DMs have put players in charge in their campaigns, the tricks they used to handle it, and how to make it fun for everyone.1:00 Everybody Wants to Rule the World – A side quest about high school and musicals5:00 A listener question: How do you handle PCs taking control of kingdoms, organizations and other powerful bodies in their world10:00 How we’ve run players ruling kingdoms in our games17:00 Is it good to be king? That depends on the perks and resources you give them25:00 It’s not all on your PCs: How kingdoms and castles more or less ran themselves in history41:00 How is taking over an organization, like a thieves’ guild, different from becoming king?46:00 Where are the perks? How do you make running these things fun and rewarding for your players?53:00 How many ways are there to run a kingdom?61:00 Final thoughts

Not every player is OK playing RPGs by the rules as they’re written. Some can’t even get through character creation without asking the DM to make some kind of mechanical adjustment. This may seem like an easy situation – do it my way or play with someone else – but it’s not always that simple. Sometimes the change may look harmless. Other times it’s a house rule you want to play with. And in rare occasions, it can become a battle of wills between the DM and a player constantly trying to twist rules to fit what they want to do, often without even asking first. How do you handle those situations? Clearly, the players are invested enough in the game to be thinking about how things could be better, but they can also cause massive power imbalances, an expectation that every player can bend the rules, and an overall broken game vibe. Those very questions came up for a couple of our readers this week. Listen in as Thorin, Tony and Dave help these D&D 5E DMs figure out how to handle a player who wants to play a wizard without memorizing spells and a veteran who misinterprets the rules for his own benefit, much to the DM’s frustration.2:00 2 listener questions about players bending rules 4:00 The RAW to Rule of Cool Spectrum: How firm are the rules in your game?8:00 Does removing D&D’s weird Vancian magic system break the Wizard class?11:00 Called shots: How RAW and Rule of Cool change the game and beg the question, “Why can’t I”?14:00 When bending the rules isn’t innocent and makes that PC better than everyone else24:00 Negotiating with a player who wanted to bend the rules28:00 If you’re going to let a player bend the rules, tie it to an item or boon that you can take away if it goes wrong34:00 Making PC deities: Some of our adventures with homebrew power and abilities37:00 How we handle players who want to bend the rules that we may or may not agree with48:00 Handling a player who keeps misrepresenting the rules in their favor58:00 Final thoughts

It’s the question forever DMs everywhere ponder at night: How do I get one of my players to jump in and DM their own stuff so I can get some playing time?! (And also, so they can express themselves, expand the hobby, and all that other good stuff.) It’s not always easy. Sometimes the players you think would be the best DMs don’t have the interest. Other times your own presence may be intimidating them out of trying. Perhaps you just don’t make DMing look very fun to them?With those obstacles in mind, how do you make new DMs? Here’s how Thorin, Tony and Dave approach recruiting new players to DM, encouraging them to take the mantle, and supporting them as they take the reins.2:00 A listener question: How do you convince players who’d be good DMs to try DMing? 3:00 How and why we started DMing and recruited each other to run games13:00 How we try to talk players who’ve never run a game into DMing, and why they may say “No”24:00 How do you spot players who will want to DM and help them overcome their obstacles?26:00 The pros and cons of starting with official, “boxed” adventures32:00 Sometimes younger players are more excited to try DMing than older, more experienced players34:00 Let new DMs know you like their ideas and are excited to step back and be a player in their world37:00 How do you help a new DM who struggles in their first game?40:00 Bring your enthusiasm to their game42:00 Final thoughts: Make DMing look fun, and more players will want to do it48:00 P.S. The creed of 3 Wise DMs: Everyone gets to play what they want to play and do everything they want to do

Rest! In some D&D 5E campaigns, it’s taken for granted. In others, like Tomb of Annihilation, PCs may have to make their HP and long-rest abilities stretch for days. And like in real life, sleep deprivation changes the game!As we’ve started our Tomb campaign, it’s really driven home how Dungeons & Dragons’s rest cadence has a huge impact on how characters play, and it’s not an even handicap. Barbarians, fighters and warlocks barely notice. Clerics, wizards, sorcerers and artificers (poor Bixy!) have to hoard power uses like platinum pieces — we hope you know where you stowed that crossbow you got during character creation!And that’s just the start of our questions about rests in D&D. Is it realistic for the party to take an hour-long lunch break in the dragon’s lair like this is a union gig? What do you do about parties that try to rest after every fight? Is the full-healing you get with a long rest essentially, as one Wise DM put it, “D&D on super baby mode”? How can the DM use all of these nuances to their advantage to tortu… er, have fun with the players? Thorin, Tony and Dave discuss all that and more in this episode of 3 Wise DMs.1:00 Sleep deprivation and your adventurers: Tomb of Annihilation doesn’t allow long rests in the jungle, here’s how it’s effecting our PCs4:00 All classes are not equal: Rest restrictions hit certain PCs completely differently13:00 Whittling away your will to survive: Is 5e’s long-rest full-healing mechanic “super baby mode”?18:00 Some idea for increasing spell recharging without long rests24:00 Make sure your players know what they’re getting into27:00 Limiting long rests puts less burden on the difficulty and length of encounters31:00 How frequently should the party be able to rest in your average D&D 5E game?41:00 Are their lunch breaks in the dragon’s lair?! When and where is it OK to let the party short rest?51:00 Final thoughts

Dungeons & Dragons is a lot more than just dungeons and dragons. The game is full of iconic monsters with unique legends and mystique, some pulled from mythology and others found only in this game. But from D&D, many of these monsters have become pop culture icons with stories and expectations that have taken on a life of their own.There is a fine line between meeting expectations and playing a boring cliché, though. In some ways, the iconic monsters can be the hardest to DM because you have a type to play, but it helps to play against it just a little to make the game more fun. Here are seven of the most iconic monsters in D&D and how Thorin, Tony and Dave get the most out of them in their campaigns.2:00 Embracing the legends: How do you make goblins feel like goblins and vampires feel like vampires, but still make them memorable?4:00 Give yourself some range for memorable characters … but not too much6:00 Monster 1: What makes goblins iconic?16:00 Monster 2: Kobolds – a short flight20:00 Monster 3: Orcs from D&D to Star Trek29:00 Monster 4: Mind flayers – Squids From Space! Bring your inner H.R. Geiger to play38:00 Monster 5: Black pudding or gelatinous cube?42:00 Monster 0: The Logo: Dragons – listen to episode 62 for more44:00 Monster 6: Giants – Storm, fire and thunder52:00 Monster 7: Beholders – The Round Mound of Eye-Beam Beatdown60:00 Final thoughts