becomingDM

Wow, there was a lot that was going on with both John and Danielle to get this episode out, but it's here now!  John is joined by special guest Robert Spann to discuss something we have briefly touched on in other episodes: adding music and sounds to your games.  They talk about things to consider when adding this aspect to sessions as well as some of the technical aspects of how they implement this in game.  Join us! Have you got an idea for a future episode of becomingDM?  We'd love to hear about it!  Share your ideas at becomingDM.com/ideas

In the second part of our two-part episode on Illness and Disease, John and Danielle talk about implementing diseases into your games and some things to be aware of as you do so.  Join us for this episode! If you've got an idea for a future episode of becomingDM, make sure to go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas and let us know!

Not only does adding illness and disease to you game provide additional flavor, it can provide a challenge by temporarily impacting the abilities of characters, especially higher level ones.  In the first part of this episode on Illness and Disease, John and Danielle talk about how to justify disease in a world with magic, the types of disease, and start talking about how to implement them into your game! We want to hear from you!  If you have an idea for a future episode of becomingDM, make sure to go to https://becomingDM.com/Ideas

It's episode 100!!!  Join John and Danielle as they take a look behind the scenes of the first 100 episodes of the show.  You can find out how the show actually got started, how Danielle was selected to be co-host and you can even get a look into the gear that's used to record the show.  Thank you to all of the listeners that have joined us for this ride, we're excited to reach this milestone and plan to continue recording new content for you!   Don't forget!  This is the last episode that you will have a chance to win one of our two prize packs.  Go to https://becomingDM.com/100 for details on prizes, and how to enter!

Throughout the course of your game you will have players that will occasionally not show up from time to time.  Preparing for handling those missing players and how the character, story, and treasure experience changes as a result are really important to define before this happens so players and DM are all on the same page with what to expect.  In this episode of becomingDM John and Danielle go through some of the questions that you should ask about the missing player experience to help you define what works best for your table. Don't forget that we have a contest going on as we approach episode 100!  Go to https://becomingDM.com/100 for details, prizes and how to enter!

Chases!  Whether the party is trying to get away from the town guard or trying to prevent an enemy from escaping they can add a sense of excitement to the game.  But how do you make a chase more exciting for everyone at the table?  In this episode of becomingDM John and Danielle talk about the as written rules for chases in both D&D as well as Pathfinder 1st edition.  Additionally, they provide suggestions on how to take those rules and expand on them to make chases an edge of your seat thrill ride!    Don't forget that as we count down to episode 100 we are getting ready to give away some prize pack for lucky listeners.  Go to https://becomingDM.com/100 to see the details, prizes, and enter today!

Do you find yourself wanting to encourage certain behaviors in players?  Whether it's roleplaying, heroics, or something different adding the Inspiration optional rule to your game may be just what you're looking for.  Join us as John and Danielle talk through on the episode requested by listener Ryan Ross!  We talk about some of the official rules as well as tips and tricks that we have for implementing it and customizing it for a better fit for your game. And don't forget that as part of our approach to episode 100, you have the chance to win fabulous prizes.  Check out https://becomingDM.com/100 for details!

Part 2 is here!  If you were waiting for the second half of our episode on running games for large groups, this is it!  Join Danielle, John, and Robert as they continue the discussion and touch on skill checks, combat, and more for large parties at the table.  Also learn why Danielle is a monster and John is a slacker! Don't forget that as we get closer to episode 100 we are giving away prize packs!  There are three easy ways to enter an win, you can find all the details about the prizes and how to enter here:  https://becomingdm.com/100

Our episode about running games for large groups was so large we had to split it into two parts!  In the first part of this discussion, Robert Spann joins John and Danielle to talk about whether you really need to have such a large group and some tips and tricks to keep players engaged if you have a large group at your table.  Don't forget our contest as we go to 100 where you can win some fantastic prizes.  Make sure to check out https://becomingdm.com/100 for details on the prizes as well as information about how to enter!

Heists can be a great way to add a sense of intrigue.  But how do you add them to your game in a meaningful way?  And how do you do so without it ending up being "the rogue show".  John and Danielle talk about working backwards from the objective to plan out a heist adventure for your table. And don't forget, we are counting down to episode 100!  If you would like to learn more about the prizes we are giving away and how to enter, make sure to visit: https://becomingDM.com/100

Join us as John and Danielle discuss this topic that was suggested by listener Robert Spann! If you're getting new players to your table, they probably don't know or understand the differences between the various classes that they can choose from.  In this episode, we discuss different strategies and techniques to help players settle on a choice while still having it be their decision.  Join us! Have you got an idea like Robert did?  Let us know!  Submit your idea for a future becomingDM episode topic by going to https://becomingDM.com/ideas

At some point you may need to end your campaign.  Maybe you've come to the logical conclusion of the story for these characters, maybe people are needing to move away.  Whatever the reason, how you end your game can have a big impact on how people look back on the game and you as a DM.  Join John and Danielle in this episode as they talk about some of the questions to ask when a game is ending and some strategies to use to make the most memorable game possible! As always, we want to hear from you!  If you've got an idea for a future episode of becomingDM, let us know by submitting an idea at: https://becomingDM.com/ideas

If you think about the world that your characters are moving through, there is probably some sort of legal structure that says what is allowed and what's not allowed. Within communities of the world there may be a moral structure that is in line with or counter to the laws of the land.  In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle talk about defining laws and moral structures for your game to add depth and flavor to the experience.  Join us now! If you've got an idea for a future episode of becomingDM, let us know!  Go to https://becomingDM.com.ideas to submit your idea today!

In part 2 of our Running Large Scale Combat episodes we continue the conversation digging deeper into what happens when the party members take on leadership roles in the military.  Join us as John and Danielle further explore this topic!   Got an idea for a future episode?  We'd love to hear it!  Go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas to let us know!

Are there large armies clashing in your world? If so, then eventually you may have the party getting involved with fighting them, so knowing how to run large scale combat is a useful skill for DMs.  In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle talk about some options for how to run large scale combat scenarios and what to consider before you get yourself into this fun situation.  Join us! We'd love to hear from you!  Let us know what you'd like a future episode of becomingDM to be about by submitting it at https://becomingdm.com/ideas

Sometimes you don't have time to create a map for your combat encounters.  Sometimes the players do something unexpected and get into a fight that you weren't prepared to put on the table in front of you.  Sometimes you just don't have enough space to run the combat that you would like with minis and everything.  Whatever the reason, running theater of the mind combat is a great way to add a different perspective to you game.  Join John and Danielle as they discuss the things to consider when running theater of the mind and find out why Danielle is so infatuate with bees! We'd love to hear your ideas for new episode topics!  Let us know by going to https://becomingdm.com/ideas

We have seen several people curious about how long it actually takes to plan out a session lately.  In this becomingDM side quest, John looks at the factors that can influence how long session planning takes and then reveals his average prep time.  Join us for the side quest!

Are you finding that you have trouble scheduling games with your group and no one seems to be available at the same time?  Or maybe you don't have the time to dedicate to a single long session.  If that's the case, consider running play by post games.  In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle talk about the benefits and challenges of pbp as well as things to consider if you're getting involved in a pbp game. We'd love to hear from you!  If you have an idea for a future episode of becomingDM, go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas and let us know!

Having trouble trying to figure out where to look for players for your game or where to find a game that you can play in or run?  In this becomingDM side quest, John talks about some of his favorite places to look for people for local games.  Join us to find your next game! Got an idea for a future side quest or main line episode?  We want to hear about it!  Go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas to share your episode idea.

There is a lot of stuff that happens in your games every session.  If you don't stay on top of managing your campaign, you could end up with players asking to revisit an NPC that you haven't thought about in months and don't really remember anything about.  In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle talk about what sorts of things you might want to include in your campaign management as well as three common ways of performing campaign management.  Join us to hear all the details!  That, and Danielle's love of paper. Got an idea for a future episode?  Let us know all about it!  Submit your episode ideas at https://becomingDM.com/ideas

Spend enough time getting people together for game sessions and they're going to want to have some food.  In this becomingDM side quest, John talks about the things to consider for food at the table and goes through some of the items that he has found have gone over well with the table.  Join us for a feast! Got an idea for a future episode of becomingDM?  Or Maybe a side quest?  Make sure to go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas and let us know all about it!

This week we continue our discussion about getting your game unstuck.  Whether you are still stuck on setting, your players are being an issue or anything else, we'll cover it and strategies to get yourself and your game unstuck.  Additionally, John learns the term, "faffing about"! Join us for this week's episode! Got an idea for a future episode of becomingDM?  We'd love to hear about it!  Go to becomingDM.com/ideas and let us know all about it.  Want to submit an idea for a side quest?  Use the same form!

In this becomingDM side quest, John talks about a new game that you can use to play something different!  Get ready for a game that mimics 80s style text-based computer games, but needs no computer with the game Parsely.  If you want to get a copy of Parsely for yourself, make sure to go to https://memento-mori.com If you've got an idea for a future side quest or main episode of becomingDM, let us know!  We always want to hear what you want to hear. Make sure to go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas to submit your episode idea today!

Is your game filling you with a sense of dread when it's coming up, or even when you're running it?  Do you find that you or your players just aren't having fun?  In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle discuss the ways that DMs (and players) can get stuck in the game and how you can work towards getting unstuck!  Join us for the first part of this two-part episode! Got an idea for a future episode of becomingDM?  We want to hear about it!  Let us know by going to https://becomingDM.com/ideas

In this becomingDM Side Quest, John delves into optional rules for D&D 5e and talks about flanking.  One of the standard rules that was left out from older versions of D&D and even pathfinder was how to handle when the party (or enemy) flanks their opponent.  Check out this episode to see how the optional rule resolves that.

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 be convinced to start using DM screens?  Join us to find out! We always want to hear what you'd like for us to talk about on our next episode, let us know by going to https://becomingDM.com/ideas to submit your episode idea today!

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 Quests aims to cover those topics in a shorter form episode than our standard main episode format!  We've got new episodes of the Side Quest coming soon and they will appear in your same becomingDM feed with an episode prefix of "SQ"

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 topic?  Let us know!  Go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas to submit your idea for a future episode today!

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!  Go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas to submit your episode idea today.

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 to hear your ideas for a future episode.  If you want to hear us talk on a specific topic, go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas and let us know!

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 jargon in the rpg space.  Join us! Got an idea for a future episode of becomingDM?  We'd love to hear from you!  Go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas to let us know!

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 future episode of becomingDM, let us know! You can submit ideas at https://becomingDM.com/ideas

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 you! Got an idea for a future episode?  Let us know, go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas and tell us what you'd like to hear about!

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 we've got ways to make combat less of a slog and more fun for both you and the players!   Got an idea for a future episode of the show? Let us know! We'd love to hear what you' want to hear about.  Just go to https://becomingDM.com/Ideas to let us know!

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 https://becomingDM.com/ideas and let us know today!

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 is part 1 of a two part episode.  Make sure you come back in two weeks to hear the rest! Got an idea for a future episode? Let us know! Submit your ideas to https://becomingDM.com/ideas to let us know!

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 burden in your game. If you've got an idea for a future episode of becomingDM, make sure to go to https://becomingDM.com/Ideas and let us know!

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 games.  Join us! Got an idea for a future episode topic?  Make sure to go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas and let us know all about it!

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 episode page on our website at https://becomingdm.com/ep71 to see pictures of the finished table as well as some high level guidance on how it all comes together.

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 can enter to win by submitting your idea for a new episode at https://becomingDM.com/ideas 

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 want to hear from you!  If you have an idea for a new episode topic, go to https://becomingDM.com/Ideas and let us know!

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, so please join us!  We'd love to hear what you'd like for us to talk about in a future episode!  Go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas to let us know your idea for a new topic!

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 through player departure, what to do with their character, how to handle the player leaving, and much more.  If you've got an idea for an episode, we'd love to hear about it!  Go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas to let us know what you'd like us to talk about in a future episode!

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?  We'd love to hear about it!  Go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas to share your ideas and let us know what you'd like to hear about!

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 to let new players know what to expect from a game, how to build a character, how to talk about rules, and so much more!  Got an idea for a future episode?  Let us know!  Go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas to submit your episode idea today!

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 Thanksgiving themed game. We would love to hear your ideas for future episodes!  If you've got an idea for a future episode, please go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas and let us know!

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 about suggestions on starting games that may have intimate encounters as well as things to consider when implementing them in your game.  This episode was suggested by one of our listeners and you can submit your ideas too!  Simply go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas to submit your idea for a new episode now!

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 as a DM start to think about what needs to be addressed if this happens in your game.   As always, if you have an idea for a future episode of becomingDM, please let us know!  Go to https://becomingdm.com/ideas and let us know what you've got!

Rule zero gets quoted a lot for role playing games: where the rules aren't in charge, the DM is.  But is that really the case?  In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle discuss homebrewing rules:  when you shouldn't homebrew, when you should consider it, as well as other things to consider when changing up the rules for your game.  Whether you've never changed a rule before or you've changed so many you've practically created your own game, this episode is for you!  If you've got suggestions for a future episode topic, let us know!  Go to: https://becomingDM.com/ideas to submit your idea! We'd also like to hear what you think about this episode, you can contact us through one of the following:   Web: https://becomingDM.com  Facebook: https://facebook.com/becomingDM  Twitter: https://twitter.com/becomingDM  Instagram: https://instagram.com/becomingDM