Author Archives: MssngrDeath

Pacing (Part 3, Medium- and Long-Term)

Pacing a multi-session adventure or campaign isn’t as easy as “like a session, but longer”. Yes, there’s still a need for crests and troughs. Yes, the same principles generally apply to creating exciting moments and downtime between them. But an … Continue reading

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Pacing (Part 2, Short-Term)

Some aspects of pacing are pretty clear. I think most DMs understand (and players prefer) that campaigns start with something interesting to make the characters care about the story, like a surprise fight that unites the party or a mystery … Continue reading

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Pacing (Part 1, Overview)

Imagine a football game* where every play ends in a touchdown. For the first few plays, it’s pretty exciting. Returning a kick for a touchdown is the thing of sports highlight reels, as are fifty-yard passes and expert runs. But … Continue reading

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Session Zero

I think the hardest part of anything is the ending, but the second hardest part is the beginning. The first episode of a TV show, the first chapter of a book, and the first issue of a comic are what’s … Continue reading

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On Undead (and also, I Suppose, Reskinning)

An article today on Wizards’ website got me thinking. Let’s try a little experiment. Take a look at this creature and this creature. Assuming that you only have the pictures to go on (and, I guess, the names since they’re … Continue reading

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When You Miss a Session

I’ve gone over how to handle a player missing a session in a campaign from the DM’s perspective, but that’s not really complete. There’s also an etiquette around how to deal with missing a session yourself, whether you’re the DM … Continue reading

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Weapon With Powers (Part 2)

I’ve added a few new weapons to the list. I think I’m going to end up in Eastern weapons next, though I’m running out of status ailments. Maybe I need to make a weapon like in Rurouni Kenshin, where it … Continue reading

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Ultimate Equipment

I wanted to write my impressions of Ultimate Equipment, but what is there to say? It’s not like reviewing a normal book, where there’s some sort of new game-bending feature (Words of Power, Ultimate Magic) or I can rail on … Continue reading

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DM Wrath List

I’ve received a startling number of requests for this. There are some actions a player can take during a D&D session that cause me to roll on a DM Wrath list. Most often, I roll because a player (or DM) … Continue reading

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The Three-Character Rule (well, Suggestion)

When I first heard the idea that most players only play three characters, I think I had the same reaction as everybody else, which was basically “That’s dumb, and you’re dumb”. I kind of resented the idea that players are … Continue reading

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