Third in a series. Even if you're going with scenes and backgrounds, you still may wish to have tokens on the page. It gives players a helpful way to represent their characters and a graphical tool for tracking core statistics (in D&D, mostly HP) without going deep into character sheets. Tokens can look different ways … Continue reading Roll20 Optimal Series – Tokens
Second in a series. Assuming you don't want to use a tactical grid with 5' squares or similar, you still likely want some graphical representation of your scenes. About two-thirds of the population consider themselves "visual learners", and an even larger majority at least appreciate having visual media available. Of course, I recommend using this … Continue reading Roll20 Optimal Series – Scene setup
First in a series. I've previously written a little bit about the idea of "going optimal" on Roll20: the idea of using the basic functions that you can't really do well with other tools (sharing maps, handouts, and tokens), but sticking with what works on the things you can (your existing dice and character sheets). … Continue reading Roll20 Optimal Series – Game setup
Adults often have trouble making new friends. We don't necessarily have pre-generated social situations like when we were in school (and that's before I even think about the hellscape that school is for many kids). Marriage and children create another block for many adults, because suddenly our free time dwindles drastically and our lives focus … Continue reading Communities are what we make them
Chapter art for Level 11 Troglodyte Warrens I recently ran Level 11, "Troglodyte Warrens", from Dungeon of the Mad Mage for Variant Roles. You can watch the first of the two sessions below (I will add in the second when it's posted). Spoilers follow, obviously, at least for that level of DotMM. https://youtu.be/8XA2JN8DunM?t=673 In this … Continue reading Using DW style prep in D&D
NB: Based on a discussion I had in a local gaming Discord. A friend asked whether I have ever played in or run a game where players could indicate that they were uncomfortable with certain themes or topics that came up during the game. As previously noted, I use X cards and Lines & Veils … Continue reading The value of safety tools
"Leaning His Forehead on His Hand" by Hugh Thomson A lot of folks advocate minimal DM prep in favor of improvising during play. This approach definitely has benefits, not least of which that it encourages more folks to run games even if they have otherwise busy lives! But I also advocate for more substantial GM … Continue reading Healthy GM Prep
