Category Archives: DMing

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

Posted in DMing | 6 Comments

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

Posted in House Rules | Tagged | Comments Off on Weapon With Powers (Part 2)

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

Posted in DMing, House Rules | 4 Comments

Weapons with Powers (Part 1)

I have a lot of problems with 4th Edition (in fact, I have a list of topics I’d like to address eventually), and one is the change in weapon tiers. 3rd Edition had “exotic” weapons, for weapons that required a … Continue reading

Posted in House Rules | Tagged | 2 Comments

Keeping Plots Discontinued (or, Nobody Cares about Your Wolfos Ranger)

Most players don’t know what goes into making a D&D session. It’s not unlike how most children don’t know what it’s like to be a parent, or how most people don’t really know what their boss (or their boss) does … Continue reading

Posted in DMing | 1 Comment

Dealing with Character Death

The death of a character is rarely a happy event. Sometimes it’s a well-deserved comeuppance for terrible play (he said, glaring knowingly at the mirror-man sorcerer), but usually it’s a series of unplanned circumstances that leave the player and the … Continue reading

Posted in DMing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Thirteen-Week Campaigns (or, How to Write a TV Season)

I like to think that after this long, I have some idea about how to build a 13-session campaign. I ran three campaigns over five semesters in college, and the winter and summer breaks framed 13-session arcs well. Since then, … Continue reading

Posted in DMing | 3 Comments

This Story Is Happy End

I really don’t like endings. I don’t like it when a book ends, or a TV shows hits a season finale, or I have to say good-bye to a longtime friend. Little endings, like the end of an episode or … Continue reading

Posted in DMing | Tagged | 2 Comments

Designing for Parties Missing a Role (3rd Edition)

I’ve talked a few times about designing sessions for balanced parties and how hard it is. But some parties don’t have the luxury of being balanced. Sometimes, nobody wants to fill a certain role, or there just aren’t enough people … Continue reading

Posted in DMing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Designing for Parties Missing a Role (4th Edition)

I’ve talked a few times about designing sessions for balanced parties and how hard it is. But some parties don’t have the luxury of being balanced. Sometimes, nobody wants to fill a certain role, or there just aren’t enough people … Continue reading

Posted in DMing | Tagged | Comments Off on Designing for Parties Missing a Role (4th Edition)