Scott

Dungeon Mastering: my methods and philosophies for running years-long D&D campaigns from level 1 to 20 🧵

@DnDBeyond @Wizards_DnD Hello. A party of mine wants to visit, explore, & set up a bastion in Neverwinter. Looked for resources to help run it. Not finding anything to suit my needs. Proper gazetteers with practical details for locations would be such valuable resources.

Sometimes life is especially marvelous. Seeing Bob Dylan with guitarists Joel Paterson and Julian Lage is such an occasion.

Tonight at jjacksnightsignal.com Hosted by @Jesswhitecomic

A year ago, I was running 3 D&D games for 17 people. Today, I run 5 games for 30 people. I stopped listening to the noise. I’m building my own thing. And they’re coming. Forge your own way.

I've been playing D&D for over 8 years now. I've tried all sorts of Dungeon Master resources, but there has only been one resource that I always bring to the table with me. The Dungeon Master Screen, with its quick reference rules. No other resource has lasted any length of time.

Joseph Campbell said that people want the experience of feeling alive. For me, "winning" at D&D is measured by one question: Is my D&D game providing players the experience of feeling alive?

Dungeon Mastering: my methods and philosophies for running years-long D&D campaigns from level 1 to 20 🧵

Night Hearts, almost time to tune in to the NIGHT SIGNAL jjacksnightsignal.com

@Jesswhitecomic Awesome Jesse!

Had a new player enter our irl D&D game today. Thought I'd welcome them with a simple stirge encounter...the stirge killed him.

The new Ravenloft book, unfortunately, has practically nothing to offer me. I'm over 70 sessions into a Ravenloft campaign, the party is level 14. They'd shrug off all of the darklords. Van Richten's Guide 1.5 but better art and some maps. Otherwise, a waste.

Incredible weekend of D&D New group going through the Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan Acq. Inc. group plotted out a heist, inspired be AI's Series 1 Ravenloft campaign took some sharp turns left then right as a result of a Wish spell Homebrew campaign chemistry is so unique & wild

In session 70 of my Ravenloft campaign, The party freed an efreeti and was granted one Wish. They wished to circumvent the premise of the campaign. A most unexpected and surprising plot twist that throws the entire campaign up in the air. The possibilties are infinite...

I hear a lot of D&D players say that they'd like to Dungeon Master, but they aren't creative enough. Creativity can elevate a game, but is not required. The 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide has enough tables to create for you. Let the dice create for you.

My Ravenloft campaign has gone like this. Sessions 0-1: Sword Coast Sessions 2-7: Ship of Horror/Islands of Terror Sessions 8-55: Curse of Strahd, Pt. 1 Sessions 56-64: G'Henna Sessions 65-69: Dementlieu/Valachan More domains and a return to Curse of Strahd to come...

I never ask Reddit. I look to source material. Here is Gary Gygax from the AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Book, TV Series, Movie, masterpieces all. But, for me, the rare instance in which the movie surpasses both the book and series.

@dLsd_25 My players have free reign to do whatever they desire. Once they hit 3rd tier, word of them gets around. So, some low level areas might have upped security. But some may have not and they can easily slice through like butter. Sometimes I might roll to determine which way to do it

I'm curious who is driving what happens in the campaign more then--you or your players? I ask because if it's the players, do you find yourself having to re-balance/re-stock/rethink encounters and location often? i.e. They're investigating some cult that led them to a church with a catacomb dungeon, but they decide to follow a different lead for whatever reason when you actually sit down to play that session, but want to come back mid-session on a whim months from then and at a higher level. Do you completely rethink and re-stock the place, or do they quickly and easily hack their way through it? Are they allowed the decision to go back, or not because it's beneath them power-wise?

Man, it's been so long since I've played 5E that I had to look up what the hell a "4th Tier" character even was... Does anyone actually use the "Tier" system to reliably inform them at what character-level the focus of their game/campaigns should shift, other than to decipher what level range a module covers like below? @Gingerblast, what "Tier" are your various playgroups (not including the PGs [PCGs?] obviously,) or do you ever even think of your campaign in such terms?