Taking 20 Podcast

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 stretching 6 hours or more) require different mindsets from the DM.  In this episode, I discuss the challenges and tips of each duration.   #dmtips #gmtips #dnd #pf2e #5e #gamingsessions    

Some players and DMs love campaigns that take years to complete with multiple complex situations being resolved and a grand universal threat eliminated.  But some like quick-hitting campaigns, smaller scale and quicker resolutions.  Which is better?  How do you run long and short campaigns?  Tune in to find out.   #dmtips #gmtips #RPGcampaign #dnd #pf2e Resources: How to Be a Great GM:  Plan an Un...

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 you to give your DM a night off now and then.  In today’s episode I give you some suggestions on how to do so. #dmtips #dnd #pf2e #GMtips #burnout Resources: Clay-o-Rama (2017 republish) - https://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/dragon/D15_Clay-O-Rama.pdf

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 dungeons, using room descriptions and making them a bit more realistic.   #DMtips #dnd #Pathfinder #GMtips #Dungeons Resources: Jennell Jaquays GoFundMe:  https://www.gofundme.com/f/jennell-jaquays-has-a-long-road-back Redd Horrocks on Fiverr - https://www...

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 of information prepared ahead of time.  Tune in this week to find out what those are:   #pf2e #dnd #DMTips #Dungeon   Resources: Redd Horrocks on Fiverr - https://www.fiverr.com/reddhorrocks   5 Room Dungeons - https://www.roleplayingtips.com/5-room-d...

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 recording.  This is a collection of some of my blooper reel for 2023.  I hope you laugh as much listening as I did while making it.

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 changes and mechanical or crunchy changes.  In this episode I talk about the difference, why one should be allowed almost always and why the other type of changes should be approached with caution.   #dnd #pf2e #DMTips #FlavorIsFree   Resources: 3D Crafts...

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 fight you can introduce more variety to the end result of encounters.   #dnd #pf2e #DMTips #rpgcombat   Resources: 3D Crafts & Curios etsy store - https://etsy.com/shop/3DCraftsAndCurios   Matthew Colville:  Why Are We Fighting?  https://www.you...

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 out of our own heads and think like enemies do during combat.  In this episode, I give you some tips for running very intelligent and very unintelligent enemies for your players.   #dnd #pf2e #DMTips #rpgtips   Resources: 3D Crafts & Curios etsy...

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 important advice we can heed behind the screen.  In this episode, I’m going to remind you of that advice that keeps your game centered and your players excited to come back.   #dnd #pf2e #DMTips #OneImportantRule Resources: 3D Crafts & Curios etsy stor...

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 this episode I encourage players to talk to DMs about how they can help carry the burden of keeping a weekly game going.   #dnd #pf2e #DMTips #Burnout

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 little planning, and learning how to run a hexcrawl or prepare some mysteries and histories, exploration can be a lot of fun for your entire table.  Plus you will get to hear Jeremy struggle to say Lothlorien.   #dnd #pf2e #DMTips #RPGExploration #GMTi...

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 about social encounters and how DMs can get better at running them.   #dnd #pf2e #DMTips #SocialEncounters Resources: Matt Mercer:  Building RPG Social Encounters - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNoR-CcOtqI

Preparing to run an entire adventure out of or inside a city can appear to be a daunting task.  With a little preparation and some thought ahead of time, you can run an adventure that never has to leave the city walls.   #dnd #pf2e #DMTips #Pathfinder #CityAdventures #AdventureDesign   Resources: Drop Dice Build Cities - https://arcaneeye.com/all/dnd-cities-guide/   Dael Kingsmill’s SPERM principl...

Description Even preparing cities that the party will pass through or only stay at temporarily requires some thought on the DM’s part. In this episode I’ll give you some tips for creating quick-use cities that can help ground your cities in a touch of realism.   #dnd #pf2e #DMTips #RPG #citydesign   Resources: Dael Kingsmill’s SPERM principle - https://youtu.be/sJd6g--Ok_A?si=G-PsffcBYYpTLRNl  

Preparing your overarching campaign using smaller situational pieces has a number of benefits to preparing the entire adventure as a whole.  In this episode, I talk about the benefits of preparing your game in manageable chunks and give you some tips for doing so.   #dnd #pf2e #DMTips Resources: The Alexandrian:  Don’t Prep Plots - https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/4147/roleplaying-games/dont-p...

There are two problems I’ve seen regarding interest level:  characters who don’t seem to be buying in to the story and players who don’t seem to be interested in the game.  These situations have multiple possible solutions but require a little nuance to address.  In this episode, I talk about the symptoms of these problems and ways you can possibly address them.   #dnd #Pathfinder2e #DMTips #5e #P...

We all love making characters but one of the most common challenges I’ve heard in talking to players is how to make a memorable character; one that stands out from the crowd.  In this episode, I’m going to give you 10 tips for making characters that can grow, evolve, and be easier to tie in to the campaign at large, beyond the numbers on the character sheet.   #dnd #Pathfinder2e #charactercreation...

Immortal creatures will sometimes make deals with mortals for power and you can sometimes include these situations in your game.  Warlocks have this mechanic built into the class but should you even include the good and bad of these contracts in your game?  In this episode I talk about the different types of beings who will deal with mortals, examples of why they would and tips for your campaign....

Doppelgangers are terrifying shapeshifters that are in the game solely to make an already paranoid group of players even more so.  After all, how can you trust anyone if anyone could be lying about who and what they are?  In this episode, I give you some common motivations for these monsters and tips for introducing them into your game.   #dmtips #doppelgangers #dnd #pathfinder #pathfinder2e   Res...

Baldur's Gate 3 is an amazing game and even though it doesn't have a Dungeon Master per se, it does have some good advice and lessons that all of us can use to improve our DM style.  In this episode I give 8 tips I learned about DMing from Baldur's Gate 3   #dmtips #baldursgate3 #dnd #pathfinder   Resources: https://www.hipstersanddragons.com/difficulty-classes-for-ability-checks-5e/ Larian Studio...

A very special thank you to Rick Sandidge of Find the Path Ventures who was kind enough to come on the episode to discuss integrating character backstories into your game.  Please give their amazing podcasts a listen at find-path.com.  Resources: Find the Path Ventures:  https://find-path.com/ Find the Path Podcasts:  https://find-path.com/podcasts/   Find the Path Twitch:  https://www.twitch.tv/f...

Some decry AI as the worst thing to come to RPGs since THAC0.  However, I’d like DMs and players to acknowledge the problems associated with AI use but also consider using AI as a tool to augment our games to make us better DMs and better players.   #dmtips #dnd #Pathfinder #ArtificialIntelligence #rpgtips Resources: How to use AI as a Dungeon Master by Annabelle Collins:  https://www.modularrealm...

Many moons ago I gave tips on character death but as The Mummy said, death is only the beginning.  How do you let your player gracefully replace their character in your game?     #dmtips #dnd #Pathfinder #CharacterDeath   Resources: Pathfinder 2e:  Wealth by Level:  https://2e.aonprd.com/Rules.aspx? ID=587

In this short episode I talk about a common feeling among DMs:  imposter syndrome and give DMs some advice for dealing with it.    #dmtips #dnd #Pathfinder #ImposterSyndrome