Taking 20 Podcast

At the beginning of the D&D 5th Edition Dungeon Master's Guide there is a paragraph that was likely only included as a joke and it reinforced my belief that inspiration for good DMing really can come from anywhere.  During this episode, we go over the paragraph and Jeremy gives some advice that all of us can take from this unusual source.

Skill challenges were one of the best things to come out of the much maligned 4th edition of Dungeons and Dragons.  What are they?  How can you use them in your campaign?  Will Jeremy ever be able to limit himself to a 20 minute episode again?

Like most people who have done something for a while, I look back at my early days of playing D&D and cringe at some of the mistakes I made as a new player.  In this episode we talk about 15 of those mistakes and the lessons I've learned since then.

Adding aerial or swimming combatants to your battlefield can make things very complicated very quickly.  It doesn't help matters when the different game systems are so different in the way they handle these situations.  In this episode, Jeremy talks about the challenges, reasons to persevere through those challenges, and tips he's learned running these complicated combats. Tune in next week when I...

I received a listener suggestion to talk about some of the classes available in 5e and Pathfinder.  This episode starts that series, beginning with the Barbarian and the Bard.  Jeremy talks about tropes, playing with them and against them, and his wife helps him with a beep button when things get a little...suggestive.

"Part of the journey is the end," as it was so wisely said.  As tough as it can be guiding the adventure to an end, handling the end properly can be surprisingly tougher.  In this episode Jeremy talks about his favorite method to put a bow on a campaign and prime the next one for success.

Oops.  One of your PCs was just bitten by a werewolf and have begun the transformation into a howling, flesh-devouring monster.  How do you handle this as a GM?  Does the PC automatically become an NPC?  Tune in and find out. Now with an introduction recorded by Suzysays  on Fiverr.  She did amazing work.  Get her help with your voice over project at https://www.fiverr.com/suzysays/

Combat encounters are easy.  Stab, slash, or shoot the other team until they aren't trying to kill you.  Non-combat encounters can be just as challenging and fun, though.  In this episode Jeremy talks about types of this important tool in your arsenal and how to challenge PCs with them.

The Blood War isn't good vs evil.  It's evil vs evil.  In Dungeons and Dragons Demons and Devils have been battling it out for millennia in what's known as The Blood War.  What do we know about this conflict and more importantly, how can you use it in a campaign?

Do you struggle describing what the characters see?  Do you need a magic method to instantly make you better?  I can't help with that but I can provide a couple of formulas I've used to describe scenes for my players.  Thank you Trevor for the topic idea.

Is combat getting a little bit...stale?  Are your D&D or Pathfinder combats taking too long and they have become a long battle of hit point attrition, rules research, and having to explain 3 times per round what's going on?  Are you willing to try a few things that are...unconventional?  Well, my good open-minded listener, we talk about 20 ideas in 20 minutes for making combat faster, easier, craz...

Prewritten modules and adventures are a DM's friend.  They are simple, canned documents that you can insert into your world as needed but they're better if you customize them; make them more integrated with your game world, your players' characters, and important NPCs.  Don't know where to get started?  I'm here to help.

You're starting a new campaign!  Yay!  Everything is so shiny and new.  Your DM has asked you to come up with a backstory for your dragonborn druid from the high deserts and you have no idea where to begin.  How do I incorporate my backstory into the DM's world?  How can I help my DM create adventures with my backstory?   Or you may be a DM who wants to incorporate backstories into the new campaig...

Owlbears - one of my favorite monstrosities to throw at my players.  Sneaky ambushers?  Nah.  Subtlety is for chumps.  In this episode we talk about the history of the owlbear, its properties, and how DMs can use them in their campaigns.

You were looking forward to an antagonist for the PCs that would last a few months.  You had a plan to integrate him into two of the PCs' backstories and for a climactic battle on a volcanic rock.  But the PCs were smart and found a way to kill your big bad earlier than you wanted.  In this episode Jeremy discusses what you should do next and some strategies to keep it from happening in the future...

This topic was suggested by Adrian Young on the Taking 20 Facebook page.  Lots of DMs burn out because they spend hours and hours preparing for gaming sessions while their players get to just show up and play.  In this episode, we talk about tools that DMs can use to reduce their overall prep time before each gaming session.

Certain conditions that affect characters can have a negative effect at your table.  While I don't advocate completely getting rid of some of these conditions, in this episode I talk about how DMs should use them with caution and advice for players whose characters are taken out of the fight or gaming session by one or more of these conditions.

Artifacts can be simple engines to generate adventures or powerful items wielded by the PCs to accomplish a mission or slay a powerful creature.  Used without care, however, and artifacts will break your game.  In a slightly long episode, we discuss the positive and negatives of artifacts and how DMs can use them in their games.

Succubi and their lesser known male cousins, the incubi:  devious, corrupting masters of temptation with pleasures of the flesh and mind.  How can a DM use these in a campaign?  How do they fight?  What would my succubus look like?  Tune in and find out!

A good villain can make or break your campaign.  How do you make villains that feel real, are well-rounded, and memorable for your players?  Come on in and take a listen. Edit:  Yes, it's a touch over 20 minutes.  I edited down and edited down and feel like I already cut too much.  I'm asking for your forgiveness for the 24 extra seconds.

Magic items are supposed to be these powerful relics that can make your PCs harder, better, faster, and stronger (we'll miss you Daft Punk).  So why does it feel like most players react with, "Oh, another +1 scimitar."  How do you make magic items feel special in your high-magic or low-magic campaign?

Hack and slash games are fun where you don't have to worry about the emotional state of the players or NPCs and you can just throw dice.  Suppose you are going to be part of a roleplay heavy campaign or want to learn to be a better role player?  Here are a lucky set of 13 tips and tricks you can use to help give your character some depth.

What is it about ruins that make them so good for DMs and players?  How do ruins come to be?  How can a GM use ruins in a campaign and what are some tips to do so?  Grab your favorite drink and let's talk about it!

Continuing the monster series, this time Jeremy tackles the iconic Beholder, a potential floating Total Party Kill with eyestalks.  What are these creatures and how should DMs use them in an adventure?  Come on in and find out! Like what you hear?  Buy me a ko-fi!  www.ko-fi.com/taking20podcast.

You may have heard the terms "High Magic" and "Low Magic" when describing adventure settings but what does that even mean?  Is LSD involved?  Where would I even score any at 8:33 a.m. on a Sunday?  Good news is that it's just a way of thinking about the prevalence of magic in your campaign.  Just come on in and have a listen.