Taking 20 Podcast

Ep 165 - Let Players Savor Their Victories

After watching a session at my Friendly Local Game Store I watched a DM put players through a meat grinder of encounters, not even pausing when the PCs accomplished something impressive.  In this episode I talk about the importance of giving players the opportunity to celebrate character victories and rewarding the characters appropriately.

 

#dnd #dungeonsanddragons #pathfinder #openRPG #DMTips

Ep 164 - Lore Series - Death of Gods and Aroden

In a lot of game worlds, deities can't die.  They always existed, exist, and will always exist.  But what if that wasn't true.  What if one or more deities in your game world died, left, or otherwise weren't available?  What would happen to their followers and your world as a whole?

 

Resources:

Pathfinder Wiki (Aroden) - https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Aroden

 

#pathfinder #deities #openrpg #opendnd #aroden #dnd #dungeonsanddragons

Ep 163 - Fire - Realism vs Fun

Answering a question posed by Adrian from the Age of Adventure RPG, how do you find the balance between realism and fun.  His table devolved into lengthy debates involving fire, oil flammability, and fire spread mechanics.

Tune in to the episode that probably put Jeremy on a federal government watch list.

#dnd #pathfinder #dungeonsanddragons  #realism #fun 

Resources:

Resigned:  How to Know When It’s Time to Go: 

 

http://markstretton.blogspot.com/2017/11/fire-arrows-what-can-they-set-on-fire.html

Ep 162 - Deities

GMs, are the gods in your game worlds present or absent?  Big and powerful or quiet and reserved?  In this episode we talk about ways you can use deities in your game and Jeremy talks way too long about the comic book series Spawn.

#pathfinder #dnd #dungeonsanddragons #deities

Resources:

Resigned:  How to Know When It’s Time to Go: 

 

https://gnomestew.com/making-the-gods-matter-in-fantasy-rpgs/

Ep 161 - Player Indecision

Left or right at the intersection?  Fight or flee?  Sell the potion or keep it for later?  Players sometimes find it hard to make a decision and that can drive DMs up a wall.  In this episode, we look at possible causes for indecision and repeatedly urge players to make a choice...ANY choice.  Please, we DMs are begging you...for the love of Iomedae.

 

Resources:

Resigned:  How to Know When It’s Time to Go: 

https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/dec/13/first-time-as-a-d-and-d-dungeon-master-dungeons-and-dragons

Ep 160 - Wizards of the Coast Capitulation and Good Dungeon Maps

Good dungeon maps give players choices, have a good theme, and contents that support the theme and purpose of your dungeon.  But...how do you create dungeons like this?  Give this episode a listen and find out.

 

Also, hopefully we've heard the last of Wizards of the Coast trying to get rid of the OGL 1.0a.

#dnd #opendnd #ogl #pathfinder #paizo #orc

 

Resources:

Wizards of the Coast announcement:  https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1439-ogl-1-0a-creative-commons 

 

What it means to “Jaquay a dungeon”:  https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/13085/roleplaying-games/jaquaying-the-dungeon

 

Great interview of Jennell.Jaquays by The Wandering DM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd1wrdSSc60

Ep 159-OGL 1.2 and Intelligent Magic Items

The One Ring in Lord of the Rings, The Singing Sword in Bugs Bunny, The Luggage in the Rimworld novels by Terry Pratchett.  We've seen intelligent magic items in media and you'd like to bring one into your game world.  What's the best way to do that?  Are there any tips?  Does an animated bear rug poop in the woods?

Seriously...do they?  I have no idea.

#OpenDnd #OpenRPG #Pathfinder #OGL #DnD #DungeonsandDragons

 

Resources:

Dungeon Dudes:  How to Homebrew Sentient Magic Items. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1H5oK_GGmI

 

Ep 158 -Wizards of the Coast OGL 1.1 and the Time of Troubles

In this episode I weigh in on the Wizards of the Coast OGL 1.1 fiasco and talk about a period in Faerun's history called the Time of Troubles, when gods were mortal and walked the planet with mortals.

 

The common theme is a powerful entity doing something insanely stupid and causing upheval and calamity.  Give it a listen and comment below!

 

#DnD #DungeonsandDragons #Paizo #Pathfinder #Wotc #OGL

 

Resources:

Resigned:  How to Know When It’s Time to Go: 

The Avatar Series - a 5-book series about the Time of Troubles

 

 

Ep 157 - Special Materials in Your World

In this episode suggested by a donor over at ko-fi.com/taking20podcast we give some tips to DMs about those rare materials like mithril, cold iron, silver, and...peachwood?  What if you want to make your own special materials?  Are there any downsides to using them?  Tune in and find out.

#dnd #dungeonsanddragons #dmtips #pathfinder

Ceci N’est Pas Un Episode

This is not an episode.  Jeremy's passed out right now.