becomingDM

The age old question of whether you, as a DM, should use as a DM screen.  What are the benefits?  What are the drawbacks?  What are some neat cool things you can do with them?  In this episode of becomingDM we dive into the topic of DM screens with two different viewpoints: Danielle who is a staunch advocate of DM screens and John who has never used one in four decades of running games!  Will John...

In this becomingDM Side Quest, John talks about playing something different with the game I, Toaster.  This will be a quick overview of the system with some highlights of the game play without getting into the nitty gritty details of the system.

We're introducing something a little new here at becomingDM.  Over the past several years we have found that there have been several topics that have come up that just didn't warrant a full episode.  An introduction to a new game system, niche or custom rules, and a number of other topics have all fallen into this.  Usually that meant that those topics just didn't get addressed.  becomingDM Side Q...

Tabletop role-playing games rely heavily on rolls to determine if characters are able to accomplish a task.  Unfortunately, that can sometimes mean that DMs can be overzealous on asking for rolls for actions.  In this episode, John and Danielle talk about some of the questions to ask yourself to determine if you really need that skill check before asking for a roll.  Got an idea for a new episode...

Whether it's a unique tool, a specialized non-magical weapon or something entirely different adding the custom crafting to your game is way to better engage your players in your game.  Join Danielle and John as they talk about things to think about when you look at adding crafting to your game from both the DM and player perspective. Got an idea for a future episode of becomingDM?  Let us know!  G...

Have you found that your players deal with the enemies you set up a lot more easily than you would expect?  Maybe it's just a matter of how you're reading the enemy stat blocks and incorporating them into your game.  In this episode of becoming DM, John and Danielle walk through and show how decoding the stat block can lead to much more challenging encounters for your players.  Join us! We'd love...

If you spend enough time around a group of people that play tabletop RPGs, eventually you'll find yourself in a situation where a variety of jargon is being used that you may not understand.  This is especially prevalent in online forums where people talk about running games.  In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle spend some time decoding and explaining some of the more commonly used ja...

Running games with another DM can be a fun and exciting way to split up some of the work of a tabletop RPG.  But how do you make sure that both you and your co-DM are on the same page? Or that you have an acceptable division of the work? In this episode of becomingDM John and Danielle explore the things to consider before entering into a co-DM situation.  Join us! If you've got an idea for a futur...

Have you been a player for awhile and decided that you wanted to give it a shot and move to being a DM?  Whether it's looking for things that you didn't think about in the "job" of being a DM or just wanting some guidance on where to start, this episode is for you! Join John and Danielle as they talk about making the transition from player to DM. This episode topic was submitted by a listener like...

After the thirtieth miss rolled by both you and the players you decide to end combat for the night because it just keeps dragging on.  It doesn't have to be this way!  In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle explore strategies to make combat more interesting.  Whether it's adding to your descriptions, thinking tactically about your monsters or joining Danielle in her love of spreadsheets...

Haven't gotten enough evil yet? That's ok, we're not done!  In part 2 of our discussion about running evil campaigns, Daniell and John continue talking about factions in evil games and about how to make sure that things are staying fun.  Join us for the conclusion of our discussion on running evil campaigns! We want to hear from you! If you've got an idea for a future episode, make sure to go to h...

Sometimes your players are tired of being the good guys.  Sometimes they just want to create a little mayhem and ignore the plight of the villagers.  Sometimes they event want to BE the plight of the villagers!  In this episode of becomingDM we're going to be talking about Running Evil Campaigns and the things that you might want to consider.  We had a good time talking about this topic, so this i...

Whether it's helping to create a stat block for an NPC you hadn't anticipated being part of your campaign or generating a list of items that the party found in a Goblin's pockest, AI tools allow DMs to add things to their game that would normally require a large amount of effort.  In this episode, John and Danielle talk about AI in general and how Generative AI tools can take some of the DMing bur...

There's so much information to share with players about your world, especially with a new campaign.  It may be tempting to just give players a massive document to get them up to speed, but don't do it!  It's just as important how you deliver your exposition as it is what is in it.  In this episode, John and Danielle talk about some of the techniques they have used to make exposition fun in their g...

There's a lot of different ways that you can increase and add to immersion in your table.  In past episodes, we have made reference to a table that John built with a TV in the middle.  In this episode, Danielle takes on the MC role and interviews John about questions she's always wanted answered when it comes to building and running games with a digital table.  Don't forget to check out the episod...

Whether it's time, money, food and water, or other resources, running a resource restricted game can add a new dimension at your table.  In addition to making player choices matter, restricting resources can cause combat to be more challenging.  Join John and Danielle to hear about the ways you can add restrictions into your game!  Don't forget about our contest to win a 34.5x48 battle mat.  You c...

When players don't get along, it can make your session take forever to get anywhere.  Whether it's simply buying in that everyone is on the same team or having a decision mechanism when players don't agree on something, encouraging player collaboration is critical.  In this episode, John and Danielle talk about the tips and techniques that they use to get players to work together. Don't forget! We...

Join us for another episode of our occasional series, My Favorite Monster.  In this episode we're talking about good-aligned monsters that you can put against your evil party.  Whether it's the always classic Unicorn or the lesser known Guardian Naga, we've got something that you can challenge your players with.  So join John and Danielle for this latest episode of becomingDM!

As hard as it may be to believe, D&D isn't the only tabletop roleplaying game around.  So it's possible that you'll end up in a place where you want to play something different at your table.  In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle discuss the things to consider when changing game systems.  From the why you're changing to the aspects of the new game you might consider, we're covering it,...

Eventually you will have a situation where players need to leave the table that you're running a game at.  Whether it's because of life changes that don't give them as much time for games or because of a personality conflict or one of the many other reasons, when a player leaves there are several things that you need to plan for.  In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle talk about working...

Want to add a little more variety and challenge as the players move up to the final encounter of a dungeon?  Adding a trap, or more than one, to your dungeon can increase immersion, and cause your players to think twice about where they step.  In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle talk about the different aspects to consider when looking to place traps.  Got an idea for a future episode...

Maybe you've had some co-workers that you've been trying to get to play a game with you for some time.  Or maybe some friends knew that you run games and just recently watched something that raised their interest in tabletop gaming.  Whatever the reason, if you're running games for first time players there are a number of things that you need to consider.  Join John and Danielle as we discuss how...

Gobble gobble!  It's the time of year when many DMs think about running Thanksgiving Themed Games!  In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle discuss some things to keep in mind if you're wanting to create a themed game as well as suggestions of possible story themes.  Whether it's helping to save dinner or having a rousing game of football, we've got something to help add flavor to your Th...

Sometimes you'll end up running a game where the players want to have some intimate encounters.  Whether this is because they are trying to flirt with the local governor to get their way or dealing with a succubus or maybe they have tried to start a sexual relationship with one of your PCs this is something to approach with a level of caution.  In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle talk...

Eventually, your characters will get enough money that they want to do something with it.  Rather than figuring out how much an army costs, you can redirect them to look at buying property.  In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle talk about what happens when characters buy property.  We go over a number of resources, including Danielle's most favorite RPG book of all time, and help you a...