Master of Puppets – What To Do When The DM Has To Control A Player Character

Possession. Dominate. Alignment shifts. There are a multitude of times where the rules make the DM take control of one of the player characters in the game. But, is that a good thing? In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down to discuss an issue that came up in DM Chris' Tales of the Yawning Portal campaign that he's running for 2 new players to the hobby and a run-in with a dwarven ghost. 1:45 DM Chris’ question that arose with Possession.3:35 DM Tony’s initial thoughts.4:35 The first time DM Dave makes the point that 2 players in a game can really change how the game flows.9:40 The changes that have occurred with certain charm effects.11:10 Roleplaying yourself out of these situations to reveal secrets and clues, plot points, etc.13:55 Do your prep, know what’s coming up… or don’t!16:10 How to use these types of effects to dial up the tension on players.17:35 The problem with immediate alignment changes.22:48 Realize how powerful these effects can be and use them judiciously.24:30 How gaming has changes over the decades – the difference between Gauntlet and Final Fantasy – and how you can always fall forward into story.26:20 DM Chris’ style of being a fan of his players.30:50 How these types of events change with more than 2 players – the Banshees attack in Dragonlance!35:25 Final Thoughts.

Top Secret: New World Order. That’s right, for DM Dave’s Birthday Game (of which we are quickly becoming well-versed), DM Chris ran our gaming group through the update to the TSR classic espionage RPG, Top Secret from TSR, Inc. by Merle Rasmussen.In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down to review the system, and discuss what they liked and didn’t about playing as Agents of ICON. For anyone wanting to dip their toes into playing in worlds like James Bond and Mission: Impossible, this is the episode for you.2:06 DM Tony’s quick overview of the system.3:50 DM Chris’ high overview of how he approached running Top Secret.6:05 DM Dave’s intro thoughts.9:15 The realism inherent in playing ordinary people in extraordinary situations.10:40 How DM Chris approached learning and then running and teaching the game in real time.12:26 Even for experienced DMs and GMs, it can be confusing when running a brand new system.15:54 A discussion on the intro adventure, The White Queen, that was included in Top Secret: New World Order.19:25 The right system for the right game.22:40 How the game fosters roleplaying that moves the story and mission forward.28:00 Would DM Chris have done anything differently having now run the game?32:08 Being Agents of ICON is the easiest way to hook the players into the adventure.34:32 Final Thoughts.

Artificial Intelligence is a polarizing topic these days. From Skynet-style flights of fancy to the very real implications for content creators, it’s an evolving technology that isn’t going away anytime soon. But free from worrying about profiting off of others’ work, using AI at the game table can help provide you with a set of tools and a pair of hands that can help lift the sometimes heavy and time-consuming duties of a DM. In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down to discuss how they’ve started implementing AI into their toolbox, mainly through getting into some good old-fashioned “lonely fun” in some solo-RPGing. For anyone who has thought how AI might effect your games or your DMing, this is the episode for you.3:00 DM Chris gives the background for turning ChatGPT into a DM for a solo campaign from his previous article, and then he and Tony discuss their solo campaigns they’ve been playing in.9:35 Just like any game, you know what your character has and does more than the DM – real or virtual.11:45 The concept of “Lonely Fun.”12:46 Our experiences with solo TTRPGs, like Mythic, and how tools like ChatGPT can enhance that experience.16:30 AI as a tool to craft something you need quickly – DM Tony’s Inn.18:00 Using AI to assist in being another “DM” to bounce ideas off of and to test your prototypes: DM Dave’s new campaign that mixes WEG Star Wars RPG and Firefly: The Board Game.24:40 Our tangent into the missing Ninja class.27:37 The difference between solo gaming and party gaming. In a solo campaign, you’re the star of the show.32:00 Running a solo campaign is a great way to learn how a new system works.35:25 Final Thoughts.

Terrain. Maps. Minis. Music. Handouts. TTRPGs aren’t movies and television and we can’t rely on moving pictures to help immerse our players, so what are some ways that you can help the imagination Build This City in your players’ minds?In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down to revisit our discussion with The Wizard Washburn from Paper Terrain in Episode 112 about using and building terrain and minis but then also all the other ways to help you build the most immersive experience in your D&D game.3:50 Scenery and terrain should be used as an assist. It doesn’t need to be extensive. 5:45 Just like anything else, you have to find what YOUR style is.7:30 Some of the examples of what we use, build, buy, and collect.15:00 All these tools don’t run the game – you and the players do.18:00 Reusability with these tools is key.20:15 Something simple on the table helps to focus the players attention and provide more flavor.23:45 Tools beyond terrain, maps, and minis to enhance immersion: bring more senses into play.39:32 Final Thoughts.

Cobbler’s tools. Weaver’s tools. Glassblowing. There are a host of proficiencies that are part of building a character in D&D that seem strange at first for someone who is going out on adventures. For a lot of players, it just becomes something that you picked during character creation. We’ve come to call these the “orphan” proficiencies.In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down to discuss how they utilize these proficiencies in games, and even if you should, or if you just pass over these proficiencies and get to killing orcs.3:00 The finite resources that are proficiencies, do you want to use one to be a good leather worker?6:35 Delving into the use of the orphaned proficiencies really depends on the type of game you’re running and who’s playing.11:55 You need to allow the space for these types of skills and proficiencies to come into play – it can’t be a race against the ending of the world.13:05 Approaching it in terms of Peter Parker and Spider-Man… you’ve gotta pay the rent!14:40 The effectiveness of certain artisan and craft tools over others: would you prefer weavers’ tools or thieves’ tools?16:55 5e, specifically, has a lot of mechanics to handle most things in game. But these types of proficiencies are more narrative-focused, so don’t be so slavish to the rules and mechanics.19:40 The players invested some level of thought into these proficiencies… lean into them.27:00 DM Chris develops the first Skateboarding Fighter.28:00 To shine the light on these proficiencies, you have to put some thought into building it into the campaign.32:45 It doesn’t matter how dexterous or intelligent I am… I can’t just play a guitar when I pick it up for the first time.39:05 Final Thoughts.

Multiple times a week. Once a week. Every other week. Once a month. Once every several months. We’ve referenced how frequency of play can really alter how you run the game, how the story flows, etc. But, our longtime listener, Dr. DM, has brought up how real life has really gotten in the way of scheduling their usually weekly games and how it has affected his confidence with running the game.In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down to really delve deep into how frequency of play affects how you run the game, and even what type of game you run. Along the way, they offer their eight best tips and hacks to help whenever life alters your gaming schedule.1:45 Our long-time listener (and now co-DM!) Dr. DM, catches us up on his seafaring campaign we discussed in episode 148, as well as his question.5:56 Frequency of play is going to change how you might want to play with certain aspects of the game, like how long it took for DM Tony’s legendary Barbarian to read the Manual of Gainful Exercise.7:45 Tip#1: If you’ve got the time between sessions, use it to focus on your players goals.10:05 Tip #2: What is your usual frequency of play? If you start monthly, it won’t be as jarring if you’re used to playing weekly, and now it’s a month.11:35 Tip #3: Try to end your session on a completed note. And, if you can’t, the beginning recap is your best friend.12:35 Tip #4: Be big and bold with your secrets, clues, and rumors when weeks have passed since your last game – No Sublety!14:15 We return to DM Tony’s Barbarian, Hawk, and his quest to forge the Sword of Power in a once-a-month “Race Against Time” type of game.17:10 Tip #5: If you’re worried that the time between games is letting your DM skills get rusty, start another game to keep “riding the bike.”19:35 Tip #6: Giving something like a quest to forge a legendary sword needs to be given its due, regardless of your frequency of play. Narrative side quests and LOTRs mechanic of “The Fellowship Phase” offer some options.30:30 DM Dave’s tangent about a possible Star Wars campaign utilizing the West End d6 system.31:35 Tip #7: Game flow and frequency of play is going to change depending on how new or experienced your players are.33:25 Tip #8: How long should it take your players to accomplish things? As long as it needs to in your game and your frequency ofplay. DM Tony shares the story of DM Dave’s dragonborn cleric, Bhim, trying to gain proficiency in the longsword.37:50 Final Thoughts.

It’s apropos that our first-ever players review of a campaign was for DM Tony’s Storm King’s Thunder campaign, as our newest iteration has us returning to the frozen world of the original giants in Mana Project Studios Journey to Ragnarok! We bring on return guests Scott (the Terrain Wrangler), Bonnie (the Chaos Engine) and our newest player to join the group, Jen (the Girlfriend!)In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down with the other three players to review a campaign that had several adjustments made over the course of it – refining it from a completely open-world sandbox-style campaign to a Monster-of-the-Week style. DMs always have to be adjusting dials, so listen in as we discuss how DM Tony had to adjust for vastly different play types to still create a fun and engaging campaign. DM Chris stated it best: “TTRPGs aren’t reliant on lore, backstory, and epic narratives… sometimes its just about getting together and having fun as a group.”2:25 Player and character introductions.7:20 Setting the characters in the world: Origins and Viking Clans!18:35 How much backstory is enough or is it even required? 19:45 The real time adjustment to how you run the game with various types of gamers.27:30 Refining a multitude of adventures, political brinksmanship, and storylines down to a Monster-of-the-Week tour of the Nine Realms.29:20 How new and inexperienced players can help us evolve our DM style.36:00 The players experience between two completely separate campaigns: completely open world and Monster-of-the-Week within the same campaign.41:40 Forest for the trees: Seeing a character’s story arc in the macro.44:47 Final Thoughts.

After a little over 2 years and 20+ sessions, we have finally concluded our adventure through the Norse Kingdoms in Midgard and the remaining 8 worlds of Yggdrasill, the World Tree, where the Auspicious Signs were successful in stopping Ragnarok: the Twilight of the Gods. Journey to Ragnarok was in the campaign queue for quite a while (with DM Thorin originally wanting to run it) and DM Tony finally took the reins and led us through an epic adventure and campaign. In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down to review and wrap-up our Journey to Ragnarok campaign. Along the way, we delve into the tips and tricks that DM Tony used to tie characters into the story, capture the essence of a Viking campaign, introduce new classes, abilities, and even a new addition to the leveling system of 5e!3:12 DM Tony reveals the impetus behind running Journey to Ragnarok from Mana Project Studios as well as navigating the immense amount of lore in, not only the campaign setting, but in the breadth Norse Mythology.6:55 Tying the six characters into the world and the adventure as well as the flavor of the backgrounds in this setting.12:15 How restrictions in character creation (like being only human in the Viking lands) adds to the campaign and makes it special. Lean into them!13:15 Some examples of the new subclasses in Journey to Ragnarok as well as the entirely new class.18:00 The example from our finale of the ridiculously awesome and epic abilities of the Glima Monk!21:15 An aside into the balance between the theme of the character and the mechanics of the character.25:20 DM Tony’s introduction of the Farthak Die and Rune Casting into our campaign… even without the Rune Master class.29:15 The introduction of “Icebreakers” during rests, etc. to encourage roleplay and character development.33:00 DM Tony’s new additions to leveling – the concept of “Runic” levels.38:40 Understanding what your players are understanding and what they aren’t – adjusting the sessions to work with the table you’re at.45:28 Final Thoughts

D&D does combat well. It can slow down time and can be more or less crunchy than you like, but it definitely creates aa play area that a new DM can handle during a session. Unfortunately, while the books talk about the other two pillars of roleplay, there isn’t a lot for the new DM to latch onto to understand the best way to run a seamless session.In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down to answer a listener question about the best ways to create and run all the non-combat encounters that the characters will become involved with and how to develop them beyond “roll me an x” situation.1:15 DM Dave reminisces on the Time Life Rock ‘n Roll Era CD collection.3:15 Listener question: a new DM asks about the best ways to lend gravitas to non-combat encounters without it just boiling down to a dice roll.4:38 Tip #1: What do your players like?5:30 Tip #2: Prepare ahead and let the players guide the movement forward.6:50 Tip #3: Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. 11:15 Tip #4: Mini-games are an easy way to let the players roleplay while also rolling dice.12:45 Tip #5: The evolution of the game reflects the evolution of DMing… give yourself some time to develop.14:00 Tip #6: Lean on some resources that help newer DMs to understand how adventures can run between all the pillars of play.15:11 Tip #7: What are the characters objectives/mission/quest? Let that guide you.18:20 Tip #8: Story prompts and campfire tales… fuel for roleplay.20:00 Tip #9: Go easy on yourself… you will screw up.23:30 Tip #10: Rest times are a great time to spur talking amongst themselves.24:40 Tip #11: The Lever NPC… use them to spur forward momentum.25:50 Tip #12: What do your favorite movies, series, and books do to create “non-combat encounters.”26:45 Tip #13: Narrative side quests.29:50 Tip #14: Skill Challenges.33:35 Tip #15: Create Open-Ended scenarios… developing inciting incidents.37:15 Tip #16: “Sandbox” and “Railroad”: It’s not either/or… it’s always AND.39:12 Final Thoughts.

“What elements would this game need to include to feel complete for a fan of the setting and the story?” That was the question from Forever DM Larry about running a Dragonlance campaign for players that had read the books… which he hasn’t. In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave reveal the best tips they have for running a setting that you’re unfamiliar with while the players are steeped in it, whether it’s Krynn, Middle-Earth, or a Galaxy Far, Far Away.1:45 Shout out to The Epic Beatles Tribute Band on DM Dave’s recent Norwegian Cruise.2:50 Our listener question from Forever DM Larry.5:05 First Tip: Hit the Broad Strokes.8:25 Second Tip: Take a Cue from the Star Wars Stories.10:55 Third Tip: Focus on the Fun of the Adventure First.12:15 Fourth Tip: Set Expectations.14:00 Fifth Tip: What Source Material are you Using? 190 novels exist in the world of Krynn.16:15 Sixth Tip: Use Lore and NPCs as Easter Eggs, Let Your Unique Story Flourish.20:40 Seventh Tip: Know What Notes You Need to Hit.26:25 Eighth Tip: You’re Always Planning for the Next Session.29:15 Ninth Tip: Pick the System That Leads to The Most Fun for the Whole Table.40:15 Final Thoughts.