Latest Blog Posts

• D&D Stories | Sweet Dreams Session #2
  Reconvening at the Sleepy Owlbear Tavern the party enjoys a hearty breakfast while discussing their plans. Annika, remembering their visit with Enlightenment, slips away to have another chat with the old priest at the Pantheon House. With logical reasoning and a so-so persuasion roll she convinces him to stop passing out dreamwards around town. Meanwhile, the party expresses their concerns about dreamwards spreading amongst the townsfolk of Somnium. Zorn, ever efficient and hardheaded, strides through the crowded tavern to loudly declare that dreamwards are dangerous. Most patrons heed him no mind. Sleepily yet determined, Somna joins Zorn’s efforts to raise awareness with thaumaturgy amplifying her voice. Together, they gather the attention of the breakfast goers.
• D&D Stories | Sweet Dreams: Session #1
  The session begins in Somnium, at the Sleepy Owlbear — a well-maintained, dimly-lit tavern with a bar and hot food. The party of five adventurers recently arrived, finding a table reserved for their benefactor, Vargik Tomedelver — but no Vargik, yet. The most interesting feature of the taproom is its proprietor, a narcoleptic awakened owlbear named Godfrey dozing off behind the bar. The patrons don’t seem alarmed by this. Mercifully, the players took my lackluster intro of “you’re in a tavern, maybe you’ve already met each other or not or something,” and ran with it. A rocky start, but I hadn’t DM’d (and they hadn’t played) in months.
• Achieve Flow with Prepared Facts
  Good Dungeon Masters (DM) are prepared. “Being prepared” means something different to everyone. Even so, every DM can benefit from really knowing the facts of their homebrew campaign, one-shot, or pre-made module. I want to stress right out the gate that good preparation does not preclude clever improvisation. I argue that by establishing your facts you strengthen your ability to pivot and improv, even when (especially when!) the players want to try something you hadn’t conceived. Set yourself up for success session-to-session with mastery over your campaign’s core facts, and thus achieve flow. Identify what information will empower the players … Read more
• Sweet Dreams: Campaign Overview
  The prominent dwarven scholar Vargik Tomedelver has commissioned capable individuals to carry out work he cannot: the infiltration of the Grand Archives! Why would a renowned and trusted scholar require such skullduggery? The advent of the sleepwalkers (and a strong need to maintain one’s reputation in academia) of course!
• The Freedom to Choose
  Sometimes, as Dungeon Master (DM), we have to be explicit with where to go and what to do next or we risk leaving the party either confused at the lack of direction or hampered by analysis paralysis. It’s important to know when to railroad the party to the next scene or point them the right way to keep the game moving. Often you can preface this with phrases like “you see…” or “you realize…” followed by something along the lines of “…that the only way to proceed is through the oak doors to the north of the chamber” or “…that … Read more