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Post by Zyraen on Sept 12, 2012 16:47:09 GMT 8
www.wizards.com/dnd/Archive.aspx?category=all&subcategory=dmexperienceA wonderful series of thought provoking articles by Christopher Perkins. It is written with very nice live example of his own campaign, and in a very colloquial style. That said, because it is a prose style, those looking for neat "List of Tips" may find not all his articles that clearcut.
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Post by Zyraen on Nov 1, 2012 15:24:27 GMT 8
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Post by Zyraen on Feb 5, 2013 14:42:00 GMT 8
And... he does it AGAIN! dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/old-dm-and-seaQUOTES "Third Edition rebuilt the game on a sturdy and level foundation. It had strong mathematical underpinnings and put more effort into balancing the various classes. The game demanded a lot from DMs (particularly at higher levels), but I appreciated the strides taken to determine how to make a challenging encounter. For the first time, I felt that I could rely on the rules to settle arguments at the game table, and thus focus my attention on creating adventures and wrapping my head around monster stat blocks. It was the first edition I worked on as a TSR/Wizards employee, so I was seeing the game from a whole new angle. The term "Behind the Curtain" springs to mind; the phrase was used in rulebook sidebars that explained why the game worked in certain ways, although the "behind the curtain" advice for magic item creation still causes my head to rip from my shoulders and fly about the room, screaming like a deranged penanggalan. Third Edition taught me that if I wanted to run a really good campaign, I needed 250,000 hours of prep time, but the payoff would be worth it, and my campaign would forever be immortalized in the hearts and minds of my players. And to its credit, 3rd Edition was kind enough to provide several excellent Adventure Paths, not to mention Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, for DMs without thousands of hours of prep time to spare. Fourth Edition focused on making life easier for the DM, if not the player. Simpler monsters, easier ways to mix-and-match monsters by role, treasure parcels for fair magic item distribution, you name it. It got me thinking about how to build adventures that were not only fun roleplaying challenges but also tactically engaging. How can I use terrain to make this encounter more memorable? How can I combine two disparate monsters in a way my players have never seen before? Like every edition before it, it has flaws. It's hard to make an epic-level adventure that doesn't just feel like a heroic-tier adventure with higher attack bonuses and damage output—a challenge I hadn't really faced before as a DM. I remember when the Wednesday night group busted out of paragon tier into epic tier, and then promptly got blown to bits when their ship exploded the session after they turned 21st level. I remember thinking, "Ten more levels to go. How do I top that?" It takes a lot of gumption to keep a campaign alive for five years and thirty levels—a real test of a DM's fortitude and mettle. Fourth Edition forced me to deal with that particular problem, making me a better DM in the process. " |
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Post by Zyraen on Feb 21, 2013 13:23:23 GMT 8
There's good articles, there's great articles, and ... there's stuff like THIS! dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/world-worth-savingQUOTE "A campaign needs to earn the players' respect if it has any chance of survival. Too many potentially awesome campaigns get ripped to shreds by disaffected and disenfranchised players, and for good reason. In a few weeks, I'll be traveling to Boston for PAX East, and I guarantee there will be DMs in attendance whose campaigns have been turned into chew-toys by players driven to obnoxious behavior. Are your players doing their utmost to sabotage your campaign and make your life behind the DM screen a living hell? Are you players so apathetic to the events of your campaign that they'd rather kill time in a tavern — or set it on fire — than chase a quest? If the answer is yes, I have a good guess as to why: ..." ( yes, I left it as a Cliffhanger ) |
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Post by Zyraen on Apr 26, 2013 23:13:05 GMT 8
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Post by Zyraen on Apr 26, 2013 23:18:23 GMT 8
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Post by Zyraen on Jan 8, 2016 0:01:56 GMT 8
Replaced most of the dead links. The articles can be found here dnd.wizards.com/articlesselect Narrow By (it is on the left side) and get a drop down menu. Almost all the way at the bottom is the filter you want - the Dungeon Master Experience. |
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Post by Zyraen on Jan 8, 2016 0:16:30 GMT 8
How to challenge seemingly indestructible Players
dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/death-defying-dd
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