Taking 20 Podcast

Ep 183 - Improving Your Narration

RPG players depend on we DMs to effectively describe the combat, the encounter areas, and the world at large during exploration activities.  The words we use and the quality of our narration has a direct effect on the quality of our game and the potential immersion into our game world.  Narration is a skill that all GMs, including and especially me, need to practice and improve.  In this episode I give you 4.5 tips for improving your narration.  You heard me.  4 and a half tips...

 

#dmtips #dnd #Pathfinder #narration

 

Resources:

https://theangrygm.com/how-to-talk-to-players-the-art-of-narration/

Extra Credits:  History of Dungeons and Dragons:  https://youtu.be/paEGFYSBZTE

Taking 20 Episode 170 - Combat Narration - https://taking20.podbean.com/e/ep-170-narrative-combat-armor-class-and-hit-points/ 

Taking 20 Episode 78 - Tips for Scene Descriptions:  https://taking20.podbean.com/e/ep-78-tips-for-scene-descriptions/

Ep 182 - Campaigns Bigger Than the PCs

Sometimes it's nice to remind players that not everything in the world revolves around them and they don't have the ability to control everything going on in the world.  If you want the players to realize that sometimes they are small fish in a big pond, run a campaign centered around a war, cataclysm, revolution, or other world-shaping event where the PCs play a small but important role in the outcome.

 

#dnd #Pathfinder #DMTips #ORCLicense 

Resources:

Reddit:  World population by class level - https://www.reddit.com/r/DnDBehindTheScreen/comments/ada98w/comment/edgldd3/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 

The Flowchart:  https://imgbox.com/uHbbhKgD 

Taking 20 Episode 58 - https://taking20.podbean.com/e/ep-58-the-evil-campaign/

 

Ep 181 - Monster Series - Ambush Predators

Your PCs tend to stroll through life like everything is great.  They're walking through the Underdark, not a care in the world, oblivious to everything down here that wants to eat you.  It's time to remind them that they may not be the apex predators in the dark places of the world.  In this episode I talk about using ambush predators in your game, including one strong caution about how they can make your players feel.

 

 #dnd #pathfinder #dmtips #ambushpredators

 

Resources:

The Monsters Know What They’re Doing by Keith Amman:  https://www.themonstersknow.com/roper-tactics/

5e Piercer - https://www.aidedd.org/dnd/monstres.php?vo=piercer 

Lurker - https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Lurker 

PF2e cloaker - https://2e.aonprd.com/Monsters.aspx?ID=82 

5e cloaker - https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/16826-cloaker 

Taking 20 Podcast Episode 121 - Earthfall https://taking20.podbean.com/e/ep-121-lore-series-earthfall-on-golarion/ 

Taking 20 Podcast Episode 164 - Death of Aroden https://taking20.podbean.com/e/ep-164-lore-series-death-of-gods-and-aroden/ 

PF2e Invisible Stalker - https://2e.aonprd.com/Monsters.aspx?ID=179 

5e Invisible Stalker - https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/16934-invisible-stalker 

Taking 20 Podcast Episode 96 - Mimics - https://taking20.podbean.com/e/epidose-96-monster-series-mimics/

Ep 180 - Let Villains Be Villains

There is something refreshing about not having to worry about nuance about the big bad's plans or fighting to find a reason for their actions.  Sometimes, when you're designing an adventure, it's fun to just let the big bad be bad.  In this episode, I encourage you to throw caution to the wind and give you reasons why a villain could be an irredeemable monster.

#dmtips #dnd #pathfinder #gmtips #orc

 

Resources:

Trope Talk:  Pure Evil  https://youtu.be/1-XprjlATEo

Trope Talk:  Faustian Bargain  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEKVHXRXRiw

The Literary Mercenary:  http://nealflitherland.blogspot.com/2021/04/not-every-villain-needs-or-deserves.html

Ep 179 - Better Roleplaying by Letting Adventures Breathe

In this episode I talk about good opportunities for DMs to introduce PC-NPC and PC-PC roleplaying opportunities.

 

#dnd #rpgtips #Pathfinder #orc #DMtips

Resources:

https://www.reddit.com/r/DMAcademy/comments/xe1j4l/campfire_stories_to_deepen_players_backstories/

 

https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-and-dragons-dnd-encourage-roleplay-tips-tricks/#social-interaction-is-more-than-talking

Ep 178 - The Players Spoiled My Plans and the Paizo Remaster

DMs, what should you do when the players derail your entire adventure plan, reveal a secret or short circuit the story that you had planned for the group?  How can you recover from this?  Tune in and find out

 

#DMTips #dnd #Pathfinder #ORClicense

 

Resources:

Pathfinder Second Edition Remaster Project:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiYCs0fPFnM&t=50s

 

Twitch stream of “Pathfinder Remastered” at Paizocon on Friday May 26th from 12-2 PDT.

Ep 177 - Back to Basics -Make Scenes not Stories

I have been guilty of trying to craft stories from an overview, a 50,000 foot view, if you will, and neglecting the individual encounters, scenes and scenarios.  In this episode I encourage you to do the opposite of this, focus on crafting these individual scenes to give you the flexibility to allow the PCs to take the story whatever direction they would like.

 

#dmtips #dnd #pathfinder #learnfrommistakes #orclicense

Ep 176 - Making Monsters Scarier

There are a few common tips and tricks that DMs can use to make monsters scarier or merely seem that they are.  In this episode I discuss ways that you can get rid of that same-old-same-old feeling with your monsters and keep your players on their toes.

 

#dnd #Pathfinder #opendnd #dungeonsanddragons #dmtips

Ep 175 - Wizards of the Coast, Pinkertons, and That One DM Question

I've given the WOTC Pinkerton issue a couple of weeks to marinate and I wanted to give my thoughts on the matter.  Also, I wanted to give my wonderful GMs out there a useful tool:  one question you can ask your players to keep them from making a preventable mistake.

#DMTips #Dnd #OpenDnd #Pathfinder #WOTC #Pinkerton

Ep 174 - Quest Design - 36 Dramatic Situations

In this episode I point out how to find inspiration in a book that is 125 years old and use the building blocks to make quests and backstories that are just as compelling today as they were then.

 

#dnd #opendnd #Pathfinder #DMTips #StoryDesign 

Resources:

https://www.storyanddrama.com/the-36-dramatic-situations-of-georges-polti/

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thirty-Six_Dramatic_Situations

 

http://ifxgroup.net/plots.htm