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DM Resources Editorial

Dungeon Master Appreciation Month – DM Cory

They say you never forget your first. That’s true for pretty much all great things. In this case I’m referring to my very first DM, my cousin, Cory. It’s Dungeon Master Appreciation Month and I’m writing a series of articles in which I express my appreciation for some of the very best DMs I’ve ever had the good fortune to play with. So far the DMs I’ve featured have all been friends; this time the DM in question is family which makes the relationship that much more important and significant.

When talking about the very best DMs I know I would be remiss if I didn’t express my appreciation to DM Cory for introducing me to role-playing games and Dungeons & Dragon in particular. He is the DM by which I measure all others, and even though we haven’t played D&D together in almost 20 years, he is still the DM I consider to be my all-time favourite.

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DM Resources Editorial

Dungeon Master Appreciation Month – DM Liam

February has been designated as the month when we should go out of our way to let our DMs know what a good job they’re doing. Of course, I’d like to think that many players do this on a regular basis already, but for those who need prompting it’s time to say thank you. As a DM I get a lot of thank yous from my players so I know how big a morale boost it is to hear you’ve done a good job. With that in mind I’m taking the time in February to write a few blog posts that feature some of my very best DMs I know. It’s my way of saying thank you to them.

This time around I’d like to tell you about DM Liam (a.k.a. Bauxtehude). We met as while playing Living Forgotten Realms together at my FLGS shortly after 4e D&D was released. It only took me a few session to realize that Liam didn’t care for the rigid structure that canned adventures in 4e followed. Fortunately he’s the kind of guy who is willing to put up or shut up, and he put up. He decided that he would rather spend his time running a game that could go in any direction and not have to confirm to a 4-hour time block. He recruited a few players from the FLGS and we began to play in DM Liam’s new home campaign called The Shattered Sea.

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DM Resources Editorial

Dungeon Master Appreciation Month – DM Monty

February is Dungeon Master Appreciation Month. Although I tend to be the DM more often than I’m a player, I have had the good fortune to play under some great DMs over the years. Throughout February I’m writing about a few DMs I’ve had, the best of the best, and sharing stories about what I found most interesting and memorable about them. This is my way of reminding them how good they are at what they do and showing my appreciation for fellow DMs.

Today I’m going to tell you a little bit about DM Monty (a.k.a. Steampunked) and why he’s an outstanding DM. I met Monty at my FLGS when I started playing Living Forgotten Realms shortly after 4e was released. He was a fellow player and I was always fascinated by how much careful thought he put into building and developing his characters. He was an optimizer who always looked for the best way to get the most out of his PC. As we met other players at our FLGS we were both invited to join a newly forming home game and for the next two years we played side-by-side week after week.

One night at our new home game someone started talking about the classic Gary Gygax super-dungeon adventure, the Tomb of Horrors. By then a 4e conversion of the original had been released as reward for public play DMs and there was a 4e hardcover that was positioned as a sequel to the original. DM Monty said he wanted to run the Tomb of Horrors as a 4e adventure and try to make it as deadly and fun as the original had been for 1e D&D. I immediately expressed an interest to be in that game.

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DM Resources Editorial

Dungeon Master Appreciation Month – DM Jay

February is DM appreciation month and I’m writing a series of articles in which I spotlight and thank some of the best DMs I’ve ever had the pleasure and privilege of playing with. I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve had a lot of good DMs over the years. When you’ve played as much D&D as I have you know when you get a good DM; someone who brings something extra to the table that sets them apart from the rest. Today we look at another one of those great DMs.

Last week I told you all about DM Curtis, today I’m going to tell you about DM Jay (a.k.a. Suddry). Jay and I met at the D&D table about 15 years ago and he’s been a part of my weekly Sunday night home game ever since. When 4e D&D was launched Jay decided that he wanted to take a stab at being the DM, something he’d never done before. It was a new system so why not usher in a new DM along with it. The experience was fantastic and Jay opened our eyes to new possibilities of what a DM could do.