Tag: Dungeons and Dragons

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Editorial

Greatest Hits 2010

With 2010 nearing completion the Dungeon’s Master team is taking another look at some of our favourite articles from the past year. With over 250 articles posted over the past 12 months there are bound to be a few that you missed somewhere along the way. If you’ve only found Dungeon’s Master recently, this is a good way to discover some of our best work. For those readers who have been with us since the beginning, we think you’ll enjoy revisiting these articles again.

Over the next two weeks we’ll dig up those hidden gems that generated a lot of discussion among the gaming community or that we think best represent what we’re all about.

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Player Resources

Tomb of Horrors: Actual Play Podcasts (Part 4)

This is it. The final chapters in our adventure into the Tomb of Horrors. Who lives, who dies? You’ll have to listen to find out. Follow the adventures of six experienced gamers as they delve into the Tomb of Horrors for the very first time.

Before diving into these podcasts, be sure to check out the DM’s introduction as well as the earlier podcasts and an assortment of photos in Tomb of Horrors: Actual Play Podcasts (Part 1 | Part 2 |Part 3).

You can find all episodes of our Tomb of Horrors actual play podcasts in iTunes. Search for “The Shattered Sea” in the iTunes store’s podcast section. The artist is Liam Gallagher (Bauxtehude’s name in real life). You can also subscribe to The Shattered Sea with any feed-reader of pod-catcher by visiting The Shattered Sea and clicking on “Subscribe in a Reader.”

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Editorial

D&D Encounters: Keep on the Borderlands (Week 13)

Never underestimate the how quickly you’ll get an audience with the Lord of the keep when you announce that dragons are going to attack. Of course, having a solid reputation for heroism and a couple of witnesses to corroborate your claims doesn’t hurt things either.

We began right where we left off last week. We’d just defeated Benwick’s men, killing Gorn and subduing the others. Upon learning the details of Benwick’s plan from his cronies, we marched our prisoners directly to the inner court where we demanded an immediate audience with Lord Drysdale. His guards were somewhat reluctant and even suspicious of us initially, but mention of two black dragons en route to level the castle had a way of getting them to grant us the audience we requested.

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Humour

Dungeon’s Master Presents: Christmas with the Gamer

Today Dungeon’s Master presents a D&D, holiday-themed tale based in part on real events that happened in Ameron’s household over the holidays. Merry Christmas.

I’d rather be playing D&D. But it’s Christmas and my family is coming over for a big holiday dinner. So I’m forced to settle for the banality known as real life for the next few hours.

I lumber downstairs from my bedroom, making no effort to be stealthy. Anyone in the living room or kitchen with a half-way decent passive perception knows I’m on my way. As a triggered action when I reach the bottom of the staircase my mother, the controller, starts giving me orders. I have to clean the basement, playfully called the dungeon, before company arrives.

As I pass by the living room I notice my father watching football. My dad is the epitome of the Warlord class. He’s a generous leader who constantly gives up his actions to let other act in his place. Whether that action is taking out the trash, cleaning the basement, or mowing the lawn, he’s always been very generous and giving. He’s just that kind of guy. Even when my mother asks him to do something he takes advantage of his class features to give up his action and let someone else do twice as much on their turn.

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DM Resources Player Resources

Prove Your D&D Superiority

When I play games, I play to win. I want to be the best and I want everyone else to know that I’m the best. For most table-top games there is a clearly defined way to identify the winner. In fact many games – including Monopoly, Scrabble and Chess – all have tournaments or championships to crown the best of the best.

When it comes to D&D it’s just not that easy. How do you prove to the guys at your table, and more importantly other gamers, that you are the best at D&D? I’ve given it a lot of thought and I’ve got suggestions for determining the best of the best once and for all.

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Player Resources

Tomb of Horrors: Actual Play Podcasts (Part 3)

The actual play podcasts of our trip to the Tomb of Horrors continues with five new episodes. Follow the adventures of six experienced gamers as they delve into the Tomb of Horrors for the very first time.

Before diving into these podcasts, be sure to check out the DM’s introduction as well as the earlier podcasts and an assortment of photos in Tomb of Horrors: Actual Play Podcasts (Part 1 | Part 2).

You can find all episodes of our Tomb of Horrors actual play podcasts in iTunes. Search for “The Shattered Sea” in the iTunes store’s podcast section. The artist is Liam Gallagher (Bauxtehude’s name in real life). You can also subscribe to The Shattered Sea with any feed-reader of pod-catcher by visiting The Shattered Sea and clicking on “Subscribe in a Reader.”

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Editorial

D&D Encounters: Keep on the Borderlands (Week 12)

Betrayal! Our suspicions of Benwick were well founded as the party was betrayed. After risking our lives for Gorn and Benwick we were repaid with violence. But this group of adventurers wasn’t about to fall victim to such an underhanded and evil act. We were ready to fight and expose this wrong doing.

This week our party consisted of seven players: Berrian, Eldeth, Hagen, Merric, Sola, an Assassin and a Wizard. The encounter began with the party retracing their steps through the three previous rooms. When we arrived in the room with the statue in the middle, there was Benwick, Gorn, Sal and Gordi waiting for us. Benwick explained that they were worried and wanted to see if we’d met with success or failure.

We quickly recapped all that had happened. Gorn seemed disappointed that there were no Dwarven relics, but was quite happy to hear about how much gold was collected. After much debate the party decided to give Benwick and Gorn their fair share.

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DM Resources

The 5-Minute Work Day: Solutions

What can you do when the 5-minute work day is killing your campaign? The PCs are a bunch of narcoleptics who need to take a nap as soon as they finish a fight. They can’t believe that you really expect them to keep adventuring after they’ve completed one whole encounter? They’ve already used some (or all) of their daily powers and expended a few healing surges. In their eyes you’re a terrible DM to place these unrealistic expectations on them.

Don’t worry; we’re going to help you. Yesterday we addressed the fact that you should Blame the Players for the 5-Minute Work Day. But if they’re not having any of that and still insist that it’s your problem then we have some ideas to help smooth things out.

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DM Resources Player Resources

The 5-Minute Work Day: Blame the Players

Do you want to know why the 5-minute work day is such a big problem in 4e D&D? The players. That’s right, I said it. The players are to blame. DMs are constantly looking for ways to fix this problem and I’m saying that it’s not their responsibility to fix it. Players are to blame and players need to shoulder the burden of fixing this problem.

There’s been a lot of recent discussion on the blogs about how to eliminate the 5-minute work day, referred to by some as the bed problem. In short, the problem is that players want to take extended rests as often as possible and DMs are finding it difficult to come up with good reasons to say no.

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Editorial

What’s In Your Inventory?

Take a look at your equipment inventory. What’s there? Magic items, maybe an adventurer’s kit. Anything else? That’s what mine looks like too. In fact most players I’ve met have similar looking inventories. Empty. Bereft of any life or originality. Occasionally, I will see a crowbar or some other interesting tool in a players inventory, but mostly all I see magic items.

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