Every DM runs their home game a little bit differently, so as new players join the ranks it’s important that any house rules or tweaks to the RAW (Rules As Written) are clearly spelled out. This becomes even more important when you jump between editions or are playing in a home-brew campaign. Brendan at Untimately put together a list of 20 rules questions feeling “that it would be useful to have a list rules that often change from campaign to campaign.” By answering these questions DMs ensure consistence and rule clarity at their tables.

Many of the other bloggers who have posted their responses play older editions of D&D or use a mish-mash of various editions. The Dungeon’s Master crew plays 4e, bet even so the answers to some of these questions are not as straight-forward or clear-cut as you might think. Everyone has at least a few house rules and we’re no exception. So today I’m answering Brendan’s 20 quick rules questions.

1. Ability scores generation method?

Point buy. We’ve run into too many issues over the years when someone rolls amazing stats and there was no one around to witness them. Alternatively when guys roll really poor stats they cry because they’re not as powerful as the next guy. Point buy may be boring but it levels the playing field.

2. How are death and dying handled?

This hasn’t really been a big problem since 4e, but we’ve always played that if you die and want to come back the DM will find a way to make it happen. After all, the player shouldn’t suffer just because the PC died.

3. What about raising the dead?

Only if the party has suitable levels and resources. D&D has always been a revolving door of life-death-life and that’s a big part of its appeal.

4. How are replacement PCs handled?

If you want to play a new character that’s fine. Talk to the DM about how and when to bring in the new guy. Again our primary objective is to have fun and if you don’t like your character then change him to one you like better. We found this happened a lot with our group so now we all have character trees. In my tree are four characters. They all level simultaneously. At the beginning of each adventure I pick one and away we go.

5. Initiative: individual, group, or something else?

Individual initiative for PCs, group initiatives for monsters. For really big and long fights we’ll sometimes default to just going around the table. The other option we use for big fights is flipping back and forth between team heroes and team monsters. Team heroes can act in any order when it’s their turn; likewise for team monsters.

6. Are there critical hits and fumbles? How do they work?

When it comes to crits we follow RAW (Rules As Written). So for 4e a 20 is an automatic hit, and as long as 20+ the attack modifier beats the defense (which it almost always does) then it’s a crit. Max damage + any overflow dice from a magical weapon or implement.

7. Do I get any benefits for wearing a helmet?

Nope. That’s already included in the numbers for your AC based on whatever type of armor you’re wearing.

8. Can I hurt my friends if I fire into melee or do something similarly silly?

Again we default to RAW. Your allies don’t provide cover to your enemies and you never have to worry about your allies with an attack that doesn’t target them. However, if your power says all creatures in an area burst 1 and a PC is in the danger zone the attacker must roll against him like he would against the monsters. This is especially common for Wizards and other controllers and it happens a lot in my home games.

9. Will we need to run from some encounters, or will we be able to kill everything?

I try to keep my encounters balanced, as is recommended for the 4e mechanics. However, I will push the players to venture onward without a short rest from time to time which will make things considerably harder. My players have learned that retreat is always an option although they rarely back down.

10. Level-draining monsters: yes or no?

As far as I know this is not a mechanic that’s used in 4e so my answer is no. However, I used it all the time when I used to play 3.5e, especially when running undead.

11. Are there going to be cases where a failed save results in PC death?

The only failed save that can result in death is the third failed death save. So failing a save can result in death in 4e but it’s unlikely. If you can’t work together as a party to save an unconscious ally before three rounds have passed (assuming he fails all three saves) then you really need to examine your play style.

12. How strictly are encumbrance & resources tracked?

As long as you can make your case for an item, I have no issue if you’ve got it. I don’t want to add another unnecessary level of record-keeping to the game. Buy a Bag of Holding and we’re all good.

13. What’s required when my PC gains a level? Training? Do I get new spells automatically? Can it happen in the middle of an adventure, or do I have to wait for down time?

I rarely allow leveling up during a session or even during an adventure if it’s short. I like to try to include some role-playing to explain what the characters did to represent this level increase. I don’t apply any formal mechanics. When characters level up they get whatever their class would normally allow. I wouldn’t gimp a spellcaster and not let him have access to more powerful magic while letting the Fighter swing his sword better and for more damage. I try to treat all PCs equally in this regard.

14. What do I get experience for?

I don’t track XP. You level when I think it makes sense for the story. I don’t believe in individual XP awards and it discourages party unity. Everyone tries to hog the spotlight and do his thing to get the extra XP. By leveling everyone simultaneously and not tracking numbers it lets players focus on other, more important aspects of the game.

15. How are traps located? Description, dice rolling, or some combination?

I believe that traps should challenge the characters and not the players. OK, it can challenge the players too, but there absolutely needs to be a mechanic where a PC with a really good Thievery skill or exceptional Perception or just an extremely high Intelligence should get an advantage to overcoming the problem. Just because I’m playing a Rogue who’s a master trap finder doesn’t mean that I’m a master trap finder in real life. DMs have to have some way to allow for this in the game. You’d never make a player lift something heavy to demonstrate his character is strong so why challenge the intellect of a player with a really smart PC?

16. Are retainers encouraged and how does morale work?

No retainers and no morale. Play the character the way you think he should be played in a given situation. Monsters will flee if they face defeat, but if they’re likely to be hunted down anyway they’ll fight to the death.

17. How do I identify magic items?

We follow 4e RAW, which is that you can identify an item after a short rest. I dislike this mechanic and suggested making magical identification harder, but for now we still use the RAW.

18. Can I buy magic items? Oh, come on: how about just potions?

Yes and yes. We don’t track XP but we certainly track money. If you can find it and afford it then you can buy it. Low level items are obviously more common as are most potions. Higher level items are less likely to be available but I will roll and see if it happens to be in stock.

19. Can I create magic items? When and how?

Not in 4e.

20. What about splitting the party?

There are times when splitting the party is a good idea, but sadly we don’t see it happen that often.

Be sure to check out the answers that some of the other bloggers have posted on their websites. Here are links to just a handful of other respondents.

Dak, DM | EN World | Grognardling | inthecitiesdotcom | Lord Kilgore | Lost Papers of Tsojcanth | Ostensible Cat | Tales of the Rambling Bumblers | The Grumpy Old Troll | Tower of the Archmage | What Troll?

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It’s common for people in long-term relationships to talk about how the romance is gone. They remember how it used to be: the anticipation, the excitement, the thrill. But now things are just so-so. They go through the motions and wonder where it all went. They still love their partner and want stay with them, but they know the need a change. They look for ways to spice things up in an attempt to rekindle the lost romance.

A similar phenomenon can happen to gamers who play a lot of D&D (believe me, I know). You enjoy D&D and you’re not looking to play a different game, you just want to make each session a little bit more exciting. Sure you face new challenges and new monsters each time you play but so much of the gaming experience has become repetitive and routine. How do you bring back the romance and ignite the spark of excitement you once had when you first started playing D&D? We have 8 ways to get out of a gaming slump and make your game more exciting.

These suggestions are ways for individual players in a larger gaming group to make changes that will really only affect them. After all, it’s possible that the rest of the group is having a great time and wouldn’t change a thing if they could. These ideas can spice up your D&D experience without intruding or ruining anyone else’s good time.

1. Switch your dice
   I’ve never met a gamer that only owned one d20. If changing dice isn’t something you do often then this could be an easy way to try to change your luck. Many gamers believe that there are dice gods (myself included) and that from time to time they will punish players. The dice gods are finicky and no one knows why they will pick on the same poor players so often. So changing your dice may get you out of a funk, especially if you think that part of your displeasure stems from missing all the time or rolling poorly on damage. (See Dice.)
2. Switch weapons
   When creating a character, most of us choose the weapon that deals the most damage or the one that offers the best proficiency bonus. If you’re getting bored with your character why not try changing weapons? I’d assume that if you’ve been playing long enough that you’re getting bored then your PC is likely pretty tough by now. So what harm is there is going from a long sword to a club, or a great axe to a scimitar. Figure out an in-game reason why you think your character would make the switch and then go with it for a few sessions. If you let the DM know what you’re planning he may even be able to help you come up with a way to work this into the story. (See Big Bad Weapons and Don’t Bring a Dagger to a Sword Fight.)
3. Retrain your at-will powers
   You use your at-will powers more than any others. In my experience players rarely change them. So a really easy way to make a noticeable change is to retrain one or both of your at-will powers. Some classes offer both ranged and melee at-will powers. If you’ve got mostly melee powers, try taking a range at-will or vice versa. Now that you’ve got this new way to attack, make sure you put your character in situations where he can actually use them effectively. It could change the whole way that you use your PC in combat. (See Have you Retrained Today?.)
4. Choose a multi-class feat
   If you’ve played the same character for a long time then you know what that character is all about. The next time you get a feat, why not multi-class. Once you’ve done that try taking feats that will allow you to swap powers from your existing class with the new one you’ve multi-classed into. It’s a way for you to take the character in radically new directions. And remember if you’re not happy you can always retain those feats and powers back to ones from your primary class. Think of it as a romantic getaway. You’ve tried something different and if you like it you can keep going back. If the food made you sick then stay home from now on. (See Changing Classes.)
5. Talk to the DM about a side quest
   Most DMs have a story blueprint that they work from. The high points are mapped out but there’s still a lot of room for creativity on everyone’s part. If you’re looking to add something extra to your game why not talk to the DM about a side quest? This could be something that you keep secret from the other PCs or it could be something that you ask them to help you with. It shouldn’t take you or the party away from the main adventure, but it can generate interesting role-playing while you look for clues.
6. Flesh out your back-story
   When creating a new character most of us give the PC some kind of back-story. However, very few of us take the time to document all the details about what the PC did before he became an adventurer. When you find yourself looking to get more out of your game, try going back to the beginning. Flesh out your back-story in detail. By adding the finer points and then sharing them with the DM he can start to inject bits and pieces into the game that will tie into your history. This could include adding NPCs from your past or taking the party to a location important to your PC for reasons that have nothing to do with the current quest (See Giving Character Backgrounds And Themes Teeth and Nationality and Character Backgrounds.)
7. Try playing a new character
   If none of the other suggestions we’ve listed so far seem to do the trick there’s always the grand gesture of changing your character all together. You’ll likely want to talk to your DM if you want to go this route. In my home games we use a character tree system. Every player has a few characters in his tree and at the beginning of each adventure you play the PC from your tree that you feel like playing. Since out adventures usually run about 6-8 weeks this gives you a chance to really see if you like this character while not so long that you feel restricted if you’re not having a good time. Perhaps your DM would be open to creating a similar roster of characters for your group? (See Character Creation Tips.)
8. Take a break
   If all else fails, it might be time for a break. If you gaming group meets weekly (as mine does) then perhaps you set aside one night a month for some other, non-D&D activity. We often have a board game night if we’re short players or if the current DM can’t play. The week off really seems to make a difference to the game when we return the following week. The anticipation breeds excitement and the extra time off gives the players a chance to really think about what they want to do next if they’re hip-deep in an existing adventure. (See Take a Break From D&D, Play a Board Game.)

It’s an unfortunate reality that we’ll all find ourselves in a gaming slump at some point. By sharing tips like the ones above we can help each other get out of these ruts. What other tips or suggestions can you think of that will help gamers reignite the gaming spark and make their game more exciting?

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The latest trend sweeping the D&D Blogosphere is to answer the GM Questionnaire. It was posted on Wednesday by Zak S at the website Playing D&D With Porn Stars. He’s asking people to post their answers in the comments section of his website or to post them on your own blog and share the link. Today I’ve decided to join in the fun and share my answers to Zak’s 23 Questions. I encourage you to answer the questions yourself and either leave the responses in the comment below or visit Playing D&D With Porn Stars and post your answers there.

Please note that the Playing D&D With Porn Stars website does contain some material that may not be suitable for all readers. There’s also a good chance that if you try to visit this website from a work or school computer that it will be forbidden (at least it was for me).

1. If you had to pick a single invention in a game you were most proud of what would it be?

The single gaming invention I’m most proud of is this blog. However, I don’t really think that’s what the questions asking.

Although we likely weren’t the first to come up with the idea of two-hit minions, we certainly did a lot to refine them and then spread the word to the 4e D&D gaming community. So even though we didn’t invent them, I’m certainly proud of our part in making them popular.

2. When was the last time you GMed?

I GM every week at D&D Encounters, so Wednesday which was two days ago.

3. When was the last time you played?

I play every Sunday, but as luck would have it I got to play and DM at D&D Encounters this week so in this case the last time I played was Wednesday, two days ago.

4. Give us a one-sentence pitch for an adventure you haven’t run but would like to.

The heroes are sent to retake a fortress that fell to invaders, but just as they gain control the fortress is attacked and now they have to defend the keep that they just took over themselves.

5. What do you do while you wait for players to do things?

Pay attention to what’s going on in the game. This is my #1 pet peeve in gaming. Just because it’s not my turn doesn’t mean I can tune out.

6. What, if anything, do you eat while you play?

Chips. Ketchup flavoured Lay’s or good old Classic plain Lay’s chips.

7. Do you find GMing physically exhausting?

Sometimes. When I’m creating the adventure from scratch the prep work can certainly be exhausting. However, once I’m at the table running a game it’s all down hill and sometimes it seems to run itself.

8. What was the last interesting (to you, anyway) thing you remember a PC you were running doing?

I have a level 18 Dragonborn Warlord who has focused on enhancing his Dragonbreath racial power. Getting to use the blast 6 breath weapon six times during one encounter was pretty awesome and certainly interesting (to me).

9. Do your players take your serious setting and make it unserious? Vice versa? Neither?

I think the mood and the seriousness or silliness of any game really depends on the players themselves. No matter how serious a setting is, players that want to joke around will find the silly side of it. I don’t remember any circumstances where a silly setting was made serious. If they start silly they usually remain silly.

10. What do you do with goblins?

Throw as many of them at the PCs as they can handle (and then some). When we used to play 3.5e D&D I liked to give Goblins advanced levels in Fighter, Rogue, Barbarian and Monk. The players never knew if these Goblins were the level 1 versions out of the Monster Manual or beefed up combat champions. They only underestimated Goblins once. After that they always treated them with caution.

11. What was the last non-RPG thing you saw that you converted into game material (background, setting, trap, etc.)?

My office building. In fact we’re running an article about it next week for this month’s blog carnival.

12. What’s the funniest table moment you can remember right now?

As the PCs were about to board a train the Cleric decided to cast a divination to see if they’d have a safe trip. I made a secret roll for the results and it was the worst possible outcome. Although nothing bad was going to happen the Cleric was convinced the train would crash. He unintentionally started a riot and people ran screaming from the train station. To this day whenever the PCs need to board the lightning rail they ask the Cleric if it’s safe to which he promptly gives them the finger.

13. What was the last game book you looked at–aside from things you referenced in a game–why were you looking at it?

My FLGS just started carrying old D&D adventures (I mean really old adventures). This Wednesday night before D&D Encounters I was looking at A1-4, Scourge of the Slave Lords collection. I’ve never played this adventure but many of my friends swear it’s one of the all-time greats. As much as I wanted it I wasn’t about to pay $50 for such a beat up copy.

14. Who’s your idea of the perfect RPG illustrator?

Either Jeff Easley for show pieces or Wayne Reynolds for action shots.

15. Does your game ever make your players genuinely afraid?

I’d have to say no.

16. What was the best time you ever had running an adventure you didn’t write? (If ever)

Running the first Lair Assault (Forge of the Dawn Titan) in the fall was certainly a high pint for me as I rarely run adventures from modules any more.

17. What would be the ideal physical set up to run a game in?

I don’t see much room for improvement on my existing game room. Check it out for yourself.

18. If you had to think of the two most disparate games or game products that you like what would they be?

One of the simplest games I enjoy is Zombie Dice from Steve Jackson games. It’s about as basic a game as you can get. On the other end of the spectrum is the Dresden Files. More so than most role-playing games I’ve tried, the Dresden Files is what you make it.

19. If you had to think of the most disparate influences overall on your game, what would they be?

My games often draw a lot of influence from comic books. The stories are full of larger than life characters doing remarkable things. On the flip side I enjoy watching a lot of gritty, cop shows in which the officers struggle to make sense of tragic and often unthinkable crimes.

20. As a GM, what kind of player do you want at your table?

I want players that are imaginative and easy-going. They have to take the game seriously but recognize that it’s still just a game. I want players who respect the other gamers at the table.

21. What’s a real life experience you’ve translated into game terms?

So many to choose from… I often look at real life through my “Gamers Goggles” so it’s hard to pick just one. It’s not any one huge thing as much as many little things. A good example is the Battle for the Remote Skill Challenge, inspired by a real conflict that took place in my living room.

22. Is there an RPG product that you wish existed but doesn’t?

If I could think of one I’d try to invent it myself.

23. Is there anyone you know who you talk about RPGs with who doesn’t play? How do those conversations go?

I’m always telling my wife stories about my D&D games or writing for Dungeon’s Master. She usually nods politely but I can see the eyes glazing over. I’ve learned over the years to preface these conversations with “I know you won’t care, but in my D&D game last weekend…” This gives her a heads-up that she can turn off her brain while I yammer on for a few minutes. However, in most cases she does listen and will laugh if it was a funny story. After all I’m not about to bore her with things like “let me tell you about my character.”

Be sure to check out the answers that some of the other bloggers have posted on their websites. Here are links to just a handful of other respondents.

1d30 | Alex Schroeder: RPG | Cobblestone Chaos | Dungeons & Donuts | I’d Rather Be Killing Monsters | The Polyhedral Dicebag | Red Moose Games | Rolang’s Creeping Doom | The Chronicles of Canth | The Savage AfterWorld | The Sky Full of Dust | Wrath of Zombie’s Blog

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While the Dungeon’s Master team enjoys some well-deserved vacation time, we’re breaking out the greatest hits and shining a spotlight on a few of our favourite articles from 2011. We’ve searched for hidden gems that our newer readers might have missed and our long-time readers will enjoy reading again. Enjoy a second look at these greatest hits from Dungeon’s Master.

No matter where you play D&D – at conventions like GenCon, at your FLGS or even at home – there are certain expectations regarding behaviour that all players are expected to follow. We take for granted that most of these things fall into the “common sense” category and assume everyone understands what’s expected of them. However, experience has taught me differently.

I’ve learned the hard way that when people participate in public-play D&D they tend to do things they’d never do during a home game. It’s as if they believe that public-play games give them a free pass with regards to a lot of very obvious objectionable acts. After seeing many of these violations in full force at GenCon this summer I had to write down some of the most egregious and appalling ones. My hope was (and still is) that gamers will read this list, realize they’re guilty of doing some of these things, and make a point of never doing them again.

During D&D Encounters over the past year I’ve witnessed a lot of these things with unfortunate regularity. As the DM I try to “correct” some of these poor practices, but it’s tough, especially because I don’t know a lot of these people very well. And I don’t think that it should always fall to the DM to be the bad guy.

I think that we all need to share the responsibility for letting other gamers know when they violate the social contract. Whenever any of us spots the things on this list happening we should do our part and inform the violator of the inappropriate actions they’ve undertaken. By working together we can make public-play D&D better and eliminate the 7 appalling things I witnessed at GenCon.

From August 12, 2011, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: 7 Appalling Things I Witnessed at the Gaming Table.

While at GenCon I played in my share of D&D adventures. For the most part it was a lot of fun and I had a great time playing. But one thing that really stood out for me a lot more this year than any other was the egregiousness with witch other players violated the social contract you agree to uphold when playing D&D or any RPG.

I’ve put together a list of all the social faux pas and violations of the social contract that actually happened at my gaming table during GenCon. I encourage you to use the comments section below to add violations you witnessed at your gaming tables to this list. Maybe if we put them in print enough gamers will read them and hopefully stop doing them or at least realize that these actions aren’t acceptable.

I’ll admit that I’m actually guilty of a committing a couple of these myself, but when I do I am aware that it’s a problem and I apologize to the table. Regrettably when these happened at my table during GenCon none of the offenders excused their behaviour because they likely didn’t even realize that they what they were doing was extremely uncool.

1. Answering the phone

   Everyone has a cell phone. It’s instinctual to answer it when it rings. I understand that it could be an important call so I’m fine with someone excusing themselves from the table and answering it. But if you’re in the middle of your turn don’t stop to answer the phone. But if you do, be quick and take a message. Don’t start into a full on conversation. “Oh, hi. I’m just playing D&D. Yeah, that sounds great. I’d love to go there afterwards for drinks. I’ll have to get changed first. Why don’t you call Steve and see if he wants to come with us…” Unless you’re a doctor and you’re on call, let it go to voice mail until after the encounter’s over.

2. Eating at the table

   I’m not suggesting that we impose a no food at the table rule. Snacking is practically mandatory at the gaming table. But if you’re going to eat, be neat. Don’t let crumbs scatter all over the table and the battle mat. If you’re eating something with your fingers please wipe them after you’re finished and don’t touch anything, like the rest of the party’s minis, until your hands are clean.

3. Hogging table space

   There’s plenty of room around the table for everyone to have adequate space for all of their stuff. I usually have two hardcovers side-by-side, my character sheet on top of one and my power cards, dice, pencil, eraser, fortune cards, and note paper on top of the other. If everyone confined themselves to this amount of real estate we’d be fine and have room to spare, but some people have a need to unpack everything they own on the table. I’ve had to politely ask more than one player if he could move some of his stuff over so that I could have more space.

4. Shut the hell up!

   I’ve found that many gamers are very social; at least when they’re around other games. But this doesn’t mean that you need to yammer on throughout the entire game. When it’s your turn, hog the spotlight, ham it up, be the centre of attention, but when it’s someone else’s turn be quite. Don’t have a side conversation with the other players. More than once I couldn’t hear the DM because other players were talking over him. If something is so important that you have to talk about it now, get up and leave the table for a few minutes.

5. Taking without asking

   Just because something’s on the table doesn’t mean that you can use it without permissions. I’m a gamer with many dice superstitions, one being that no one but me can ever touch my dice. If you need to borrow dice, I’m happy to lend you a spare set. But the dice on the table are mine so hands off. If you need to roll 3d6 and you only have two, reroll one of them. I’m not as strict with other things as I am with my dice. If you want to use my pencil or eraser that’s fine, but please ask first. If you want to look at my bag of minis that’s also fine, but please ask first. I was appalled by the sense of entitlement I witnessed at my table. And it wasn’t just in the younger players.

6. Taking forever

   All of the players I gamed with at GenCon were veterans of LFR. Everyone had played before and in most cases had used their character over many levels. The lowest level PC at any of my games was level 6. So you know that these characters were used through many adventures. Why then does it take people so long to figure out what to do on their turn? Maybe you haven’t played this character in a while, but by the second encounter it should start coming back to you. The powers haven’t changed since the pervious encounter. Know your character. And if you’ve got a power that uses d8s for damage then have a few d8s ready. It shouldn’t surprise you that you’re going to need them.

7. Not paying attention

   Some characters are not suited to excel in every situation. If you’re a battle-heavy Dwarven Fighter with no social skills then the encounter where the PCs have to talk to the Duke and gain information is going to bore you to tears. I get that. But have the courtesy to pay attention anyway. I saw people tune out and play games on their iPad or iPhone when their character wasn’t center stage. I even saw one player pull out crossword puzzles. He didn’t even try to hide the fact that he wasn’t paying attention. In my opinion, tuning out to this extent is disrespectful to the other players and the DM.

I’m sure this is just the tip of the iceberg. What did you witness at the gaming table during GenCon or at any game played in public that you feel should be added to this list?

Related reading:

• The Gaming Jerk
• Are All Gamers Fat?
• 10 Things I Learned at Worldwide D&D Game Day

Looking for instant updates? Subscribe to the Dungeon’s Master feed!

While at GenCon I played in my share of D&D adventures. For the most part it was a lot of fun and I had a great time playing. But one thing that really stood out for me a lot more this year than any other was the egregiousness with witch other players violated the social contract you agree to uphold when playing D&D or any RPG.

I’ve put together a list of all the social faux pas and violations of the social contract that actually happened at my gaming table during GenCon. I encourage you to use the comments section below to add violations you witnessed at your gaming tables to this list. Maybe if we put them in print enough gamers will read them and hopefully stop doing them or at least realize that these actions aren’t acceptable.

I’ll admit that I’m actually guilty of a committing a couple of these myself, but when I do I am aware that it’s a problem and I apologize to the table. Regrettably when these happened at my table during GenCon none of the offenders excused their behaviour because they likely didn’t even realize that they what they were doing was extremely uncool.

1. Answering the phone

   Everyone has a cell phone. It’s instinctual to answer it when it rings. I understand that it could be an important call so I’m fine with someone excusing themselves from the table and answering it. But if you’re in the middle of your turn don’t stop to answer the phone. But if you do, be quick and take a message. Don’t start into a full on conversation. “Oh, hi. I’m just playing D&D. Yeah, that sounds great. I’d love to go there afterwards for drinks. I’ll have to get changed first. Why don’t you call Steve and see if he wants to come with us…” Unless you’re a doctor and you’re on call, let it go to voice mail until after the encounter’s over.

2. Eating at the table

   I’m not suggesting that we impose a no food at the table rule. Snacking is practically mandatory at the gaming table. But if you’re going to eat, be neat. Don’t let crumbs scatter all over the table and the battle mat. If you’re eating something with your fingers please wipe them after you’re finished and don’t touch anything, like the rest of the party’s minis, until your hands are clean.

3. Hogging table space

   There’s plenty of room around the table for everyone to have adequate space for all of their stuff. I usually have two hardcovers side-by-side, my character sheet on top of one and my power cards, dice, pencil, eraser, fortune cards, and note paper on top of the other. If everyone confined themselves to this amount of real estate we’d be fine and have room to spare, but some people have a need to unpack everything they own on the table. I’ve had to politely ask more than one player if he could move some of his stuff over so that I could have more space.

4. Shut the hell up!

   I’ve found that many gamers are very social; at least when they’re around other games. But this doesn’t mean that you need to yammer on throughout the entire game. When it’s your turn, hog the spotlight, ham it up, be the centre of attention, but when it’s someone else’s turn be quite. Don’t have a side conversation with the other players. More than once I couldn’t hear the DM because other players were talking over him. If something is so important that you have to talk about it now, get up and leave the table for a few minutes.

5. Taking without asking

   Just because something’s on the table doesn’t mean that you can use it without permissions. I’m a gamer with many dice superstitions, one being that no one but me can ever touch my dice. If you need to borrow dice, I’m happy to lend you a spare set. But the dice on the table are mine so hands off. If you need to roll 3d6 and you only have two, reroll one of them. I’m not as strict with other things as I am with my dice. If you want to use my pencil or eraser that’s fine, but please ask first. If you want to look at my bag of minis that’s also fine, but please ask first. I was appalled by the sense of entitlement I witnessed at my table. And it wasn’t just in the younger players.

6. Taking forever

   All of the players I gamed with at GenCon were veterans of LFR. Everyone had played before and in most cases had used their character over many levels. The lowest level PC at any of my games was level 6. So you know that these characters were used through many adventures. Why then does it take people so long to figure out what to do on their turn? Maybe you haven’t played this character in a while, but by the second encounter it should start coming back to you. The powers haven’t changed since the pervious encounter. Know your character. And if you’ve got a power that uses d8s for damage then have a few d8s ready. It shouldn’t surprise you that you’re going to need them.

7. Not paying attention

   Some characters are not suited to excel in every situation. If you’re a battle-heavy Dwarven Fighter with no social skills then the encounter where the PCs have to talk to the Duke and gain information is going to bore you to tears. I get that. But have the courtesy to pay attention anyway. I saw people tune out and play games on their iPad or iPhone when their character wasn’t center stage. I even saw one player pull out crossword puzzles. He didn’t even try to hide the fact that he wasn’t paying attention. In my opinion, tuning out to this extent is disrespectful to the other players and the DM.

I’m sure this is just the tip of the iceberg. What did you witness at the gaming table during GenCon or at any game played in public that you feel should be added to this list?

Related reading:

• The Gaming Jerk
• Are All Gamers Fat?
• 10 Things I Learned at Worldwide D&D Game Day

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Unless you have been living under a rock you know that Conan is back! That’s right later this summer everyone’s favourite barbarian will once again be on the silver screen, in 3D no less. The news and trailers of this release got me thinking back to the original release of Conan back in the 80’s. From there it wasn’t hard to begin thinking about all the other great and not so great fantasy movies from that era.

The movies on the list aren’t ranked and there is no rating. They are all worth seeing for one reason or another. Some have begun cult favourites in their own right and continue to endure as popular movies to this day. In each case I’ve provided my memories or brief thoughts about each film. I’ve also included a plot hook inspired by each movie. In some cases these plot hooks aren’t spectacular, but the movies listed below do represent the most basic of fantasy films.

Conan the Barbarian

If anyone had told you when this movie released that the star would one day be the Governor of California, you would have laughed. At the time of its release Conan was a great fantasy film that captured the imaginations of many.

Plot Hook

An evil warlord who wronged a party member long ago has resurfaced and is once again causing destruction. It is up to the party to end the reign of terror!

Clash of the Titans

There is a scene in this movie where the heroes are fighting a group of skeletons at the top of a cliff. The scene has stayed with me over the years as a great battle sequence full of drama. If you are looking for a film the plays up on Greek mythology Clash of the Titans has it all.

Plot Hook

Love and fate intertwine; the only way to save a romantic interest of a player is to slay a great evil.

The Dark Crystal

Jim Henson’s puppets are the primary draw in this whimsical tale. Regretably the plot doesn’t hold up. However, if you can suspend disbelief (it is a fantasy movie and you do play D&D) there is certainly enough there to entertain. At the very least, it’s a break from CGI and a return to a different type of movie making.

Plot Hook

An eldritch device was damaged and broken long ago during the war of the ancients. Over time it has leaked dark magic that has deformed the world. Recently a youngster discovered the broken piece and now seeks the party’s aid to restore the item and return balance to the world.

Excalibur

Excalibur is the best movie ever filmed about the Arthurian legends. It explores the story fully and features high production values for its time. First Knight might have had Sean Connery, but it has nothing on Excalibur. This film is well worth watching.

Plot Hook

The king requests that the party kill his bastard son, a ruthless warlord bent on conquering the kingdom. What will the party do with this new found information?

Labyrinth

Once again the combination of live action and Jim Henson’s puppets in this film strike a chord. Unfortunately, the plot leaves something to be desired. However, if you are looking for a fantasy movie filmed in a different way, Labyrinth may just be what you are looking for. Of course David Bowie as the Goblin King is another reason to watch.

Plot Hook

Goblins have been stealing children from a local village. The party must venture into their lair and rescue the children.

The Neverending Story

As a kid the blend of the real world and a fantastic one grabbed my attention. The theme song was grating, but the movie remains a favourite. I have after all always wanted to fly on the back of a dragon! Sadly there were two sequels to this film. I can’t say that I would recommend either.

Plot Hook

The party is resting between adventures. One night in the tavern a village elder reads an ancient story from a scroll. Unknown to all, the scroll and text are magical in nature, the events of the story begin to unfold in real life and the party must deal with the consequences.

The Princess Bride

I’m not sure how much I really need to say about this movie. It’s a classic. Great action, great drama, great comedy and some of the best lines in any movie. If you haven’t seen it, go rent it now. If you have seen it, go and watch it again. I just did.

Plot Hook

The Princess has been kidnapped and the party must rescue her before two peaceful nations are plunged into a deadly war.

The party meets a mysterious pirate. The pirate informs the party that he is willing to swap places with them, allowing them to loot and plunder. Of course there is a bounty on the pirates head.

Red Sonja

I remember watching this movie for two reasons. That guy from Conan was in it and Brigitte Nielsen was hot. The rest of the movie is actually rather forgettable. There was almost a sequel or remake a few years ago, but nothing came of it.

Plot Hook

An artefact of great power has fallen into the hands of an evil warlord. Only the party can save the day.

~ I know it’s weak, but have you seen the movie?

Willow

It’s been a number of years since I last watched Willow. Some memorable quotes from Val Kilmer in the role of Madmartigan are a highlight. Epic battles, swords and sorcery what else could you want in a movie?

Plot Hook

A child of prophecy is born. Many are afraid of the threat the child represents to them and set about to kill the child before she reaches maturity. Only the party can intervene.

If you haven’t seen it yet, here is the new Conan trailer. Enjoy!

What is your favourite movie from this time period? Have I left a must see off the list?

Related reading:

• Skill Challenge: The Princess Bride
• Top 5 Fantasy Books of All Time
• Traps & Hazards: The Sword in the Stone
• 100 Great Things About D&D

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While the Dungeon’s Master team enjoys some well-deserved vacation time, we’re breaking out the greatest hits and shining a spotlight on a few of our favourite articles from 2010. We’ve searched for hidden gems that our newer readers might have missed and our long-time readers will enjoy reading again. Enjoy a second look at these greatest hits from Dungeon’s Master.

When we were deciding which articles would make the cut and be included as our Greatest Hits of 2010 I kept coming back to the 6 Convention Tips for Players and DMs. After rereading them and I realized two important things.

1) Although the lists were inspired by things I witnessed (or regrettably didn’t witness) at a convention last year, most of these tips are applicable at any D&D game.

2) These tips are just as relevant today as they were when we first published them 10 months ago.

Upon making these realizations I knew that I had to include them in our Greatest Hits. But rather than run them as two separate articles I felt they’d pack more of a punch if they were combined into a single Greatest Hits article.

No matter how long you’ve played D&D or how many times you’ve been the DM there’s always room for improvement. Whether you’re playing a public game at your FLGS like LFR or D&D Encounters, or you’re playing a private game at your dining room table, be mindful of the things I’ve mentioned in the article below. If we all follow these simple rules games will run smoother and things will be better all around.

Playing with a tight-knit and experienced group in my regular weekly home game, we adhere to most of these points. However, I have noticed a couple of these things as big issues when I’ve played D&D Encounters on Wednesdays. Specifically #2) know your PC, and #5) plan ahead.

I realize that most of us are still getting used to D&D Essentials so there is going to be a learning curve on how the powers work. But if you’ve created your own character before the game started then it’s your responsibility to learn what all of the powers do and how to use them. Come on people, the PCs are only level 2 you don’t even have that many powers.

After playing a marathon session just this past Wednesday at D&D Encounters I’m also getting really frustrated by players that just don’t pay attention. First they have no idea when they’re going to act in the initiative (even though they always go after the same person). When their turn comes up they haven’t given any thought to which power they’re going to use. When it’s your turn, if you can’t decide what to do in 5-10 seconds then your default action should be basic attack or double move.

Take a look at our 6 tips for players and 6 tips for DMs and let us know of any other tips that you’ve found helpful at your table in the comment below. By sharing these pointers we all work together to make the D&D experiences a better one.

From February 22, 2010, Dungeon’s Master once again presents:
6 D&D Convention Tips for Players

From February 23, 2010, Dungeon’s Master once again presents:
6 D&D Convention Tips for DMs

D&D is a complicated game. There are the general game rules, the specific rules that apply to player characters and then there’s your character himself. It can be tough just to keep all of that straight, especially if you’re just getting into D&D. After participating in the Spellstorm gaming convention this past weekend in Toronto, I’ve put together a list of things to keep in mind when you’re playing D&D. These tips are applicable to any D&D game, but even more so at a convention where you’re less likely to know all the people at your table.

1. Respect table space

Seven people shouldn’t have too much trouble sitting around a table (1 DM + 6 players). However, every player’s going to have his character sheet, power cards, dice, a pencil and RPGA cards at minimum in front of them. Add to that list a PHB, a beverage, condition markers for minis, and scrap paper for notes and table real estate is suddenly at a premium. Only keep things on the table that absolutely need to be there.

My rule of thumb is to put my PHB and PHB2 side-by-side on the table. Everything else I have out rests atop these books. Anything that doesn’t fit within these confines stays in my bag under the table. If everyone is mindful of their own space everyone should have ample room.

2. Know your PC

We’ve said this before, and I’m saying it again – know your character! Unless you’ve just made your character on the demo of character build at the convention or you’re using a pre-generated PC, there’s no excuse for being lost. You created this PC ahead of time. It’s your responsibility as a player to know what he’s capable of doing. If you don’t understand something, that’s fine. Before play starts ask the DM or one of the other players for guidance. But when the game begins you’re expected to know your character. If you have to look something up every time your turn comes around then you haven’t done your homework. You end up slowing down the entire table and it ruins the flow of the game.

I give brand new players a lot of latitude on this point, but if you’ve played before then you’re just being lazy and inconsiderate when you’re not prepared.

3. Be helpful, but not too helpful

If you need help, ask. Most gamers are very friendly and outgoing. They’re happy to clear up how a power works or what your options are in an unusual situation.

If you’re an experienced player it’s important to ask other players if they want or need your help before offering assistance. If you just assume they need help and keep telling them what’s what you pretty much end up playing their character for them. It also doesn’t give the struggling player a chance to learn whatever it is that he doesn’t understand. By jumping in too quickly or when your help isn’t wanted you run the risk of being the Gaming Jerk and no one wants to be that guy.

4. Act immediately

Most PCs have items or powers that allow them to take immediate actions or immediate reactions. As your PC gains levels you’ll get more and more immediate powers. Since these powers don’t happen on your turn it’s very important that you know what they are, what they do and what triggers them. When you’re ready to use an immediate action announce it to the table clearly and with confidence. Make sure the DM hears you and acknowledges your action before you do anything. If you hum and haw about taking an immediate action then the play will go on you’ll miss your chance. Alternatively if you just say you’re taking an immediate action and start rolling, the DM may ask you to stop, back up and roll again. If you rolled a 20 and are asked to re-roll it you’ll be disappointed with the new result 19 out of 20 times.

5. Plan ahead

Immediate actions aren’t the only reason to pay attention when it’s not your turn. By watching what the other players do you’ll be better prepared to act on your turn. Always try to have your actions ready so that when your turn comes up in the initiative order you can act quickly. State what you’re doing with your standard, move and minor actions before you do them. If you’re going to use an action point, make sure you say that too. When your turn’s over clearly let the table and the DM know.

Planning your actions becomes more important at higher levels. With more options available you need to know which ones you’re most likely going to use and not slow the game down while you flip though all of your cards on your turn. If you’re ready and act quickly on your turn, perhaps the other players will follow suit.

6. Roll your damage first

This applies mostly to controllers. If you’ve got a power that targets multiple creatures, roll the damage along with the first attack or even before the attack roll. This way as you roll to hit your enemies the DM can score the damage as you go. If you roll to attack six targets, hit four and then roll the damage, the DM has to go back at the end of your turn and score the damage. If he knows that each hit does 9 points of fire damage he can score it as you hit or miss your targets. The time saved will really add up over an adventure.

I don’t think any of these tips and reminders will come as a surprise to most experienced gamers, but it never hurts to get a refresher on the basics. If you found these tips helpful I’d also recommend you check out some of the other articles we’re written covering tip, tricks and reminders to speed up play and make your D&D experience more enjoyable.

• 10 Reminders for All D&D Players
• 10 Things I Learned at Worldwide D&D Game Day
• Speeding Up Your Game

1. Expect the unexpected

Just because you’re playing an LFR adventure doesn’t mean that the PC will do exactly what the text expects them to do. In fact, the best games usually deviate from the script a little bit. As the DM you have to be ready and know how to handle the unexpected.

For example, in a game I ran this past weekend the PCs needed use a secret passage to enter a warehouse. The only way to access it was through a narrow alley. At the mouth of the alley Halflings playing dice games were paid to keep out uninvited guests. The adventure assumed the PCs would fight the Halflings, and then proceed down the alleyway. However, the PCs learned who had access to the secret entrance and disguised themselves as these people The Halflings had no reason to stop them because the PCs didn’t raise suspicion. Creative thinking allowed the PCs to avoid combat. When combat broke out inside the warehouse I had two of the curious Halflings join the fight after a few rounds, but by then the PCs had things well in hand.

2. Bloody hell

The DM runs everyone who’s not a PC. During combat this is usually a lot of creatures. So sometimes the DM forgets to tell the PCs that one or two of the monsters are bloodied. It’s an understandable oversight, but it needs to be corrected. There are a lot of powers that react differently against bloodied and non-bloodied opponents. PCs will often decide who to attack next based on who looks the healthiest or the most hurt. So DMs, pay attention to those bloodied values (printed clearly in the monster’s stat block) and let the players know who’s down to half health. If you use minis, make sure you mark them accordingly.

Although players are generally much better at denoting when they are bloodied, they do forget from time-to-time. So this reminder applies everyone, DMs and players alike.

3. Don’t forget the details

Most monsters have attacks that are more than just straight-up damage. Whether it’s fire, necrotic, poison or some other damage type be sure to tell the PCs which type of damage just ate away 16 hit points. Many PCs have resistances and may not actually take the full damage. But if you forget to mention that it’s a cold attack they won’t know that their cloak of survival should have softened that last blow by 5.

If the monsters have auras or any other defense or power that the PCs would automatically recognize, be sure to mention it. Don’t wait until they’re standing next to the monster before revealing that it actually has a fire aura 2 and PCs entering this aura take damage and are dazed. If the PC knows about an aura they may decide to attack from range rather than charge in.

4. Give up initiative

When you’re reading the adventure (before the convention) pre-roll initiatives for all the monsters. Even if you don’t expect the PCs to participate in a particular fight, roll it up anyway. It’s an easy thing to do ahead of time and it’s one less thing to do when you’re completely immersed in the game at the Con.

I rarely track initiative myself when I’m the DM. I ask if one of the players will do it for me. I have enough to worry about and handing off initiative lets me focus on all those other things. There’s always one player who is happy to take on the job. When I’m a player I always volunteer to track initiative.

Regardless of who’s tracking initiative, that person should give an “on deck” notice to the next person in the order. This will help keep the game moving.

5. Watch the clock

Most games at a convention are limited to a set time slot. As the DM it’s your job to make sure you give the PCs ample opportunity to complete the adventure. If the game is running slower than you expect and you’re worried about time I’ve come up with two ways to keep things on track.

The easiest way to speed things up during a skill challenge is to determine a challenge breaker (as we discussed in Skill Challenges and Rewarding XP). A challenge breaker is any player action that, if successful, would logically end the challenge immediately. So just because the adventure says that the PCs need 8 successes, I’ll often give the party full XP if the role-playing supports the successful completion of a skill challenge with fewer successful checks.

The easiest way to gain time during combat is knowing when to Call the Fight. When the combat become a war of attrition then it’s time to call it and let the PCs move on.

6. Let the PCs be heroic

This is a mixture of the “say yes” philosophy and the “rule of cool.” If the PC want to try something that’s a little outside of the rules and it makes sense for their character and makes sense for the moment, then I say let them try it.

For example, in a game I ran this past weekend the PCs were fighting on a rooftop. If they fell off they’d take 4d10 falling damage. Needless to say, one of the monsters had a push attack. Two PCs were pushed to the edge but made saves to catch the ledge. The Dwarven Fighter saved and remained on his feet. Next round same thing, two PCs were hit but made their saves to catch the ledge. And again the Dwarf remained on his feet. Third round a PC finally (and unfortunately) failed his save. The Dwarf in the square next to him stood his ground and remained standing. The quick thinking player running the Dwarf asked if he could use his action point to grab his ally as an immediate reaction and catch him before he fell off the roof. I allowed it. Made sense given the circumstances. The next round the pusher was defeated and the combat played out.

Just like the tips for players in yesterday’s article, I’m sure the points I make above are nothing new to most DMs. Some of them may be more relevant during convention play than at a home game, but they’re all good reminders.

If you found these tips helpful I’d also recommend you check out some of the other articles we’re written covering tip, tricks and reminders to improve the way you DM your game.

• Eight Rules That Will Make You A Better DM
• Adjudicating and House Rules
• Don’t Skip the Slow Parts

What other tips should DMs keep in mind when running games at a convention or at the FLGS? Please share your thoughts and ideas. Being a better DM makes everyone’s experience better and more enjoyable.

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Have you ever had to justify your love for D&D? Did you stand up for the game or did you deny everything? Are you one of those gamers who proudly and openly talks about his love of D&D? Maybe you enjoy D&D but don’t need to give anyone another reason to know that you’re a nerd? Perhaps you’re a closet gamer who nerds it up behind closed doors, but refuses to acknowledge anything D&D related in front of your social peers or members of the opposite sex?

Over the years I’ve often had to defend my love for D&D to my friends, family and even my wife. In my article Confessions of a Gamer (written shortly after Dungeon’s Master was first launched) I dared to bare my soul and shout from the (virtual) rooftops that I play D&D and I was proud of it.

I realized long ago that playing D&D was nothing to be ashamed of; in fact I went to the other extreme and created a D&D blog so I could write about D&D every day. The more I thought about it the more I realized that there are a lot of strong up-sides to playing D&D. So for anyone who faces ridicule for playing D&D, here’s a list of 10 good reasons to play D&D.

1. Learn to Work Together

D&D is a cooperative game. In order to excel you have to work with the rest of your party to accomplish goals and overcome adversity. It’s not a forum for any one person to hog the spotlight and act alone. In fact the whole 4e motto is Never Split the Party. Learning to play well with others in a D&D environment is a good way to foster transferable, real-life skills that are easily applied to situations in your everyday life.

2. Solve Problems

After you’ve learned to work together you need to learn to solve problems. D&D is a thinking man’s game. You are often presented with challenging scenarios and have to come up with a solution given the resources at your immediate disposal. The good news is that solving these problems within the parameters of D&D is often a lot of fun. It’s rarely as simple as go from point A to point B or answer the riddle. The problems usually involve a combination of all the other skills and attributes we cover on this list. D&D has taught me that there is almost always more than one way to solve a problem, and that you aren’t always expected to take the predicable course of action. This has helped me in D&D and in real life.

3. Keep in Touch With Friends

I’ve played D&D with the same core group of friends for about 20 years. We play every Sunday night. Even though we’ve all moved out of the community in which we grew up, created lives of our own and started families, we still make the time to get together once a week to play D&D. In today’s society keeping in touch is easier then ever with email, cell phones, Twitter and Facebook, but there’s nothing like getting together face-to-face with your buddies once a week. I see the D&D guys more often than I see my parents or even my brother. That’s what I call solid friendship.

4. Learn Practical Applications for Math

Over the years I’ve come to realize that D&D involves a lot of mathematics. But don’t worry; it all makes sense in the context of the game. Every action that requires a die roll is an extension of a probability matrix. Every time you attack with your sword and roll a d20 you’re testing the probability and statistical likelihood of hitting the monster. When you decide to take one weapon over another because it’s got a better proficiency modifier or has a brutal property you’re thinking about probability and statistics. Every time you look at a battle mat and determine the size of your blast and who’s affected or not because of cover you’re applying the basics of geometry. The math isn’t in your face, but it’s there. Players will often number crunch to create the most optimized character. I’ve got news for you, that’s another in-game application of math.

5. Stretch Your Imagination

Although I’ve never actually seen a dragon or been held captive in a dungeon, I can picture what each looks like with incredibly accuracy. During a D&D game the Dungeon Master describes the setting and the events and it’s up to the players to try and imagine what these things look like. One player in my group often refers to it as Theater of the Mind, a term associated with old radio plays. The more detailed the descriptions the easier it is to picture in your mind exactly what the situation looks like. Today there are D&D-like video games that present most of the visual elements for you, but true D&D has always been and will always be played in the imagination of the people sitting at the gaming table.

6. Develop a Love of Reading

For many games the instructions are usually no more than one or two pages. The D&D 4e Players Handbook is 320 pages and the Dungeon Master’s Guide is 224 pages. Now you don’t have to read both books cover to cover, but assuming you did that’s just over 550 pages of reading before you ever play your first game. This is a game for people who enjoy reading. I read about three novels a month on top of magazines, news papers, blogs, comic books and D&D materials. My love of reading began when I was young, but my understanding and comprehension developed over time. Like any other skill, the more I practiced the better I got. I’m not a speed reader but I probably read a lot faster than most people and I’ll bet this is the case with many gamers.

7. Educate Yourself

Over the years I’ve taken it upon myself to make my D&D games as cool as possible. For no other reason than because it would make my D&D games more interesting I’ve read up on history, politics, geography, sociology, mythology, theology, architecture and art history. When was the last time you read a book or encyclopedia (or even Wikipedia) because you wanted to and not because you were doing an assignment for class? My love for D&D has motivated me to visit museums and art galleries. I’ve been cultured and educated in the process of fact-finding for my D&D games.

8. Escapism

Escape is one of the primary reasons that people watch TV, go to the movies, read a book, play sports and play video games. If you’re looking for a way to unwind and forget about you real life for a while what better way than to pretend you’re a totally different person. As this person you can do things that you’d never be allowed to do or in some cases never be able to do in real life. D&D makes it possible to slay a dragon, socialize with fantastic races like Elves, Dragonborn and Shifters, rescue the princess and cast magic spells. It’s a fun and easy way to be someone else, even if it’s just for a little while.

9. Meet New People

My core gaming group is made up of my high school friends. However, we’ve added a few new players to the group over the years as people moved away or left for school. Every time someone brought a new guy to the game table fast friendships were forged. When I attended game conventions like GenCon I meet new people from all over the world. Even playing D&D Encounters at my FLGS (Friendly Local Gaming Shop) has given my opportunity to meet more gamers in my own community. I can truly say that there was almost no chance I’d have ever met any of these people if not for our shared interest in D&D. In fact two of the guys I met while playing Living Forgotten Realms at my FLGS are now members of my regular Sunday night game.

10. Have Fun

No matter what your reason for playing D&D, the one that should top everyone list is to have fun. After all, D&D is a game. It may not be the kind of game that has winners and losers, but it’s still a game. If you’re not having fun then you shouldn’t be playing. Above all else, D&D is a lot of fun.

The next time you’re looking for a good justification for why you play D&D think of this list and feel free to use any or all of the reasons I’ve presented. These were just the first 10 reasons that I thought of. I’m sure there are other great reasons I’ve inadvertently overlooked of just forgotten about. Tell us your reasons for playing D&D in the comments sections below.

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Rituals are an underutilized aspect of 4e Dungeons & Dragons. One way to increase the way rituals are used in your campaign is to incorporate them into your skill challenge design. By providing opportunities for your PCs to use their abilities you increase their engagement in the campaign. They feel that they are more involved in what is occurring and are committed to seeing things through. Using rituals in your skill challenges does require a little bit of extra work, but is well worth the reward.

Here are tips to remember when trying to include rituals in your skill challenges.

1. Find out which rituals the party has

Examine the PC’s character sheets. What rituals do they have? This is the first and most basic step to ensure that you allow the PCs to actually use rituals during skill challenges. If you create instances that are tailored around the abilities of your party they should have no excuses for not using the rituals in their spell books. Of course creating skill challenges that play towards your party is a basic step in creating challenges. This isn’t to say make it easy for them or only create challenges that use skills or rituals that they possess. However, there is little point in creating a challenge that the party has no aptitude in. That doesn’t sound like much fun.

2. Learn the rituals

It sounds basic, but if you haven’t read what rituals are available and how they work then you aren’t really able to design a skill challenge that incorporates them. Take some time to read through the rituals that are available, both the DDI Compendium or the Character Builder make this a fairly painless experience.

3. Reward ritual use during skill challenges

Allow PCs who use rituals to either receive a bonus on a skill check. Alternately, the ritual could provide a success to the challenge itself. The goal is to encourage PCs to use what they have available to them. Since rituals also have a cost component you need to make using the ritual worth while. If a PC doesn’t think that they will be rewarded appropriately for using the ritual then they are less likely to spend the gold cost required.

4. Remind the party of their resources

Encourage ritual use by being descriptive during skill challenges. Because rituals are buried on the character sheet and the character builder it is very easy for PCs to forget that they may have one that is appropriate to the situation. As the DM it’s your job to provide verbal cues to the PCs allowing the story to move forward. While this doesn’t mean tipping your hand, you should provide the PCs with the necessary tools to use their skill set to the maximum benefit.

5. Rituals are just one possible option

Avoid making the use of a ritual the only way to complete a skill challenge. There should always be multiple ways for the PCs to complete a skill challenge so this shouldn’t be a difficult one. However, you want to ensure that you avoid this. Always make it an option, but the last thing you want to do is create a skill challenge that requires a ritual a certain PC has and then have the player no show that week.

Another thing to avoid in designing skill challenges is creating instances that purposely defeat the use of a skill challenge. An example of this is a PC who is known to be dishonest. This PC always engages in any social interaction with small talk for about five minutes. This allows them to avoid the affects of the Discern Lies ritual. While this might be smart thinking on the part of a resourceful and intelligent NPC, it doesn’t do the PCs who are the hero’s and focus of the game any favours. In fact it invalidates any proactive thinking the PCs might consider doing. If they spend gold and ten minutes casting a ritual that only lasts for five minutes and then you as the DM purposefully thwart this creative thinking, well don’t expect too much more creative thinking from your PCs.

How have you worked rituals into your skill challenges? Do your PCs take advantage of this resource?

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Yesterday we shared 6 D&D Convention Tips for Players; today it’s the DMs turn. After running a few Living Forgotten Realms (LFR) adventures at the Spellstorm gaming convention this past weekend in Toronto, I’ve put together a list of things to keep in mind when you’re the DM. These tips are applicable to any D&D game, but even more so at a convention.

1. Expect the unexpected

Just because you’re playing an LFR adventure doesn’t mean that the PC will do exactly what the text expects them to do. In fact, the best games usually deviate from the script a little bit. As the DM you have to be ready and know how to handle the unexpected.

For example, in a game I ran this past weekend the PCs needed use a secret passage to enter a warehouse. The only way to access it was through a narrow alley. At the mouth of the alley Halflings playing dice games were paid to keep out uninvited guests. The adventure assumed the PCs would fight the Halflings, and then proceed down the alleyway. However, the PCs learned who had access to the secret entrance and disguised themselves as these people The Halflings had no reason to stop them because the PCs didn’t raise suspicion. Creative thinking allowed the PCs to avoid combat. When combat broke out inside the warehouse I had two of the curious Halflings join the fight after a few rounds, but by then the PCs had things well in hand.

2. Bloody hell

The DM runs everyone who’s not a PC. During combat this is usually a lot of creatures. So sometimes the DM forgets to tell the PCs that one or two of the monsters are bloodied. It’s an understandable oversight, but it needs to be corrected. There are a lot of powers that react differently against bloodied and non-bloodied opponents. PCs will often decide who to attack next based on who looks the healthiest or the most hurt. So DMs, pay attention to those bloodied values (printed clearly in the monster’s stat block) and let the players know who’s down to half health. If you use minis, make sure you mark them accordingly.

Although players are generally much better at denoting when they are bloodied, they do forget from time-to-time. So this reminder applies everyone, DMs and players alike.

3. Don’t forget the details

Most monsters have attacks that are more than just straight-up damage. Whether it’s fire, necrotic, poison or some other damage type be sure to tell the PCs which type of damage just ate away 16 hit points. Many PCs have resistances and may not actually take the full damage. But if you forget to mention that it’s a cold attack they won’t know that their cloak of survival should have softened that last blow by 5.

If the monsters have auras or any other defense or power that the PCs would automatically recognize, be sure to mention it. Don’t wait until they’re standing next to the monster before revealing that it actually has a fire aura 2 and PCs entering this aura take damage and are dazed. If the PC knows about an aura they may decide to attack from range rather than charge in.

4. Give up initiative

When you’re reading the adventure (before the convention) pre-roll initiatives for all the monsters. Even if you don’t expect the PCs to participate in a particular fight, roll it up anyway. It’s an easy thing to do ahead of time and it’s one less thing to do when you’re completely immersed in the game at the Con.

I rarely track initiative myself when I’m the DM. I ask if one of the players will do it for me. I have enough to worry about and handing off initiative lets me focus on all those other things. There’s always one player who is happy to take on the job. When I’m a player I always volunteer to track initiative.

Regardless of who’s tracking initiative, that person should give an “on deck” notice to the next person in the order. This will help keep the game moving.

5. Watch the clock

Most games at a convention are limited to a set time slot. As the DM it’s your job to make sure you give the PCs ample opportunity to complete the adventure. If the game is running slower than you expect and you’re worried about time I’ve come up with two ways to keep things on track.

The easiest way to speed things up during a skill challenge is to determine a challenge breaker (as we discussed in Skill Challenges and Rewarding XP). A challenge breaker is any player action that, if successful, would logically end the challenge immediately. So just because the adventure says that the PCs need 8 successes, I’ll often give the party full XP if the role-playing supports the successful completion of a skill challenge with fewer successful checks.

The easiest way to gain time during combat is knowing when to Call the Fight. When the combat become a war of attrition then it’s time to call it and let the PCs move on.

6. Let the PCs be heroic

This is a mixture of the “say yes” philosophy and the “rule of cool.” If the PC want to try something that’s a little outside of the rules and it makes sense for their character and makes sense for the moment, then I say let them try it.

For example, in a game I ran this past weekend the PCs were fighting on a rooftop. If they fell off they’d take 4d10 falling damage. Needless to say, one of the monsters had a push attack. Two PCs were pushed to the edge but made saves to catch the ledge. The Dwarven Fighter saved and remained on his feet. Next round same thing, two PCs were hit but made their saves to catch the ledge. And again the Dwarf remained on his feet. Third round a PC finally (and unfortunately) failed his save. The Dwarf in the square next to him stood his ground and remained standing. The quick thinking player running the Dwarf asked if he could use his action point to grab his ally as an immediate reaction and catch him before he fell off the roof. I allowed it. Made sense given the circumstances. The next round the pusher was defeated and the combat played out.

Just like the tips for players in yesterday’s article, I’m sure the points I make above are nothing new to most DMs. Some of them may be more relevant during convention play than at a home game, but they’re all good reminders.

If you found these tips helpful I’d also recommend you check out some of the other articles we’re written covering tip, tricks and reminders to improve the way you DM your game.

• Eight Rules That Will Make You A Better DM
• Adjudicating and House Rules
• Don’t Skip the Slow Parts

What other tips should DMs keep in mind when running games at a convention or at the FLGS? Please share your thoughts and ideas. Being a better DM makes everyone’s experience better and more enjoyable.

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