Running Off The Rails: Recent Episodes
Raymond O'Connor and Ariel Rascoe
Ray and Ariel equip new and experienced tabletop RPG players with actionable tips and tricks to bring their game to the next level.
We have been playing Dungeons and Dragons for years now and truly believe that tabletop RPGs offer a unique life experience that everyone should enjoy. Find out how you can adapt your game to your players and ensure a successful adventure at your table.
Ray and Ariel play 2024 catch up. We discuss what has been going on in our lives and chat about books and media we've been consuming. We will return to topic-focused, prepared content next episode.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery's Physical Copy:
https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397328/Emerys-Log-of-Legendary-Eminences
Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel discuss how to make your players feel like they are as infamous as Robin Hood or Geralt of Rivia in their own fantasy worlds. Unfortunately, these cherished characters from fiction are also infamous, and risk being chased out of any town they enter. So we need a system of notoriety for our games that still allow the PCs to walk through the world even after they've made some enemies.
Ray and Ariel review two examples of Notoriety: the bounties from One Piece which create benchmarks for progress and comparison with other pirates, vs Reputation from Gloomhaven which is multidirectional but can actively erase progress. Through these examples, Ray and Ariel devise a framework that is both multidirectional and tracks consistent forward progress.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery's Physical Copy:
https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397328/Emerys-Log-of-Legendary-Eminences
Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel discuss how to make a villain that your characters will care about—specifically care about killing them ASAP. This episode covers a classic screenwriting technique called "Kick the Dog" which establishes the bad guy by having them hurt a helpless character in the world.
Ray and Ariel review two great examples of Dog Kicking from the new One Piece series and the Disney Classic, The Emperor's new groove. Both masterclasses in establishing characters you want to punch right in the jaw.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery's Physical Copy:
https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397328/Emerys-Log-of-Legendary-Eminences
Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel discuss the different categories of sentient magic items that appear in popular fiction and Dungeons and Dragons.
From Nightblood to the One Ring, we deconstruct their sentience so that you can use the pieces to build your own items at your own tables.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel discuss Ariel's homebrew class he first played seven(!) years ago that is in its final stages before publishing to the DMSGuild. The Medium is a fortune-telling, multi-verse traveling class for 5th edition inspired by all kinds of plane-shifting experiences from Stranger Things to Everything Everywhere All at Once. Ray and Ariel go over the process of homebrewing, the core functions of the class, and how core DnD classes don't always offer the same things that you can find in homebrew material.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel have a more casual conversation this episode discussing the playtest Ray ran for the Emery's kickstarter stretch goal, featuring Za'ul the Lich King. They discuss what to prioritize for a major boss battle, and how to inject some new mechanics into minion fights with Za'ul's magical golems as examples. Ray and Ariel also tease the next episode where they will be reviewing Ariel's push-your-luck style homebrew class, which (he promises) will finally be ready for publishing.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel provide mechanics that address specific criticisms they made of 5e in the previous episode. Here are some short rules that will...
- Prompt players to choose between a more diverse set of weapons
- Inspire new rivalries between different types of spellcasters
- Help you to present more varied loot and rewards to your players.
Three design tools modern games use to make interesting encounters: power budgets, counters, and hands/throws. Dungeons and Dragons falls short in implementing these design principles sometimes for the sake of simplicity. Let's fix it.
Show Notes: https://www.runningofftherails.com/en-us/articles/decisions-episode-notes
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel discuss the three design tools modern games use to make interesting encounters: power budgets, counters, and hands/throws. Dungeons and Dragons falls short in implementing these design principles sometimes for the sake of simplicity, but often because it is catering to a different experience than a video game with instantaneous game-matching and player feedback. Ray and Ariel dig deeper though, and look for the specific places where Dungeon and Dragons could implement these concepts and improve on players' decision-making experience
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel discuss how to spice up the Find Familiar spell in dungeons and dragons. Familiars can often feel like a spell effect in our campaigns rather than fully fledged characters. Ray and Ariel were both inspired the hilarious fox familiar in Worlds Beyond Number to think up different ways DMs can create memorable familiars for their players.
Ray and Ariel present mechanics for familiar progression, discuss how to treat familiars as NPCs in your world, and come up with a few modifications to the find familiar ritual.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel discuss achieving prestige fantasies in D&D 5e. Why did the 5e Prestige Classes unearthed arcana miss the mark?
Then Ray and Ariel present mechanics for how they think that discovered and unexpected character paths can be successful in D&D 5e.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Link to Worlds Beyond Number: https://worldsbeyondnumber.com/
Ray and Ariel discuss their newest source of D&D inspiration, Worlds Beyond Number. Their first project, The Wizard, the Witch, and the Wild One is a captivating coming of age story. The story told by Brennan Lee Mulligan, Erika Ishii, Aabria Iyengar, and Lou Wilson invokes the wonder of Hayao Miyazaki movies and inspires us to bring a more curated experience to our games of D&D.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel continue their discussion on how to create puzzles ingrained in the setting of your world that your players will enjoy. They have each prepared puzzles to add some concrete examples for how to run puzzles effectively and published them in the RotR blog here https://www.runningofftherails.com/en-us/articles. In this episode, Ray and Ariel work through six points that helped guide their puzzle design. They use these checkpoints to make sure that the puzzles are a meaningful part of their campaign setting, and their players have total agency in how they tackle them.
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter for updates about giveaways, blog posts, new Youtube content, and new DM's guild content.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel discuss their problems with puzzles in the traditional D&D style. They talk through different ways puzzles can be more involved in the story of your campaign, while simultaneously not getting in the way of a good role playing session. The best puzzles can be the focal point of a fun and memorable session, but Ray and Ariel have both played in more sessions where the puzzle interrupted gameplay and even prevented the party from continuing the plot of the campaign.
In this episode, the goal is to dissect all the possible options for puzzles, and put them back together in a multi-faceted, thematic way. Ray and Ariel walk through a variety of types of puzzles and give examples that are more nuanced and less of a road block than puzzles you'll find in published modules. That way the adventuring party can enjoy the session by creatively solving the puzzle or leaving it for some other adventuring party to figure out while they move on to the rest of the story.
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us onInstagram and Twitter for updates about giveaways, blog posts, new Youtube content, and new DM's guild content.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel look back on the year, share updates on Emery's Log of Legendary Resistances kickstarter, and discuss plans for the future of the podcast.
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/RunningOffTheRails/
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel layout examples and tools that will dungeon masters implement cliffhangers in their games of D&D. Cliffhangers define how the time in between sessions feel to your players. They can be crucial for keeping a new group of players together during the time before they are invested in their characters. They can also be sources of hype and inspire plans and character motivation in the downtime in between sessions. Drive player engagement during the times away from the table by bringing cliffhangers to your table.
This episode draws heavy inspiration from Joseph Bendoski and J Washburn's creative writing podcast, Start Writing. Listen to one of their episodes about cliffhangers here: https://joseph-bendoski.com/sw106-dis-chapter-cliffhangers
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/RunningOffTheRails/
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Game designer Heavyarms joins Ray to discuss the Legacy of the Ranger in 5th edition dungeons and dragons. Ray and Heavyarms take a look at the fantastical origins of the ranger and try to make sense of the different versions that have been published by Wizards of the Coast. Then Heavyarms discusses the approach he took when designing his own 5th Edition Ranger class and why it delivers on the promise of the ranger where other attempts have fallen short.
Heavyarms Ranger class: https://www.heavyarms.com/products/ranger?variant=42490049953956
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/RunningOffTheRails/
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel discuss how to pace your dungeons and dragons adventure so the players have enough time to process all the great emotional stories you want to tell. When players are presented with conflict after conflict, the emotion of one story beat can get overshadowed by another. On the flip side, many sessions of d&d can feel slow if the story doesn't progress or the combats drag from round to round. Ray and Ariel talk through the structure of story beats in popular fiction and successful WotC adventures and provide some easy tools to help you create an exhilarating and emotional journey at your table.
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/RunningOffTheRails/
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel discuss one of the classic problems in dungeons and dragons: what to do when your players decide to split up. Specifically, they look at three different ways player characters can be separated during your sessions, even if they are technically in the same location. Ray and Ariel both love running games with split parties for different reasons, and share the successes they've had sharing the spotlight across a split group.
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/RunningOffTheRails/
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel discuss Ray's recent experiences running a 100 Demon army against in his players. How can you as a DM deliver the fantasy of battling in an army in Dungeons and Dragons? We provide tips and tricks to help army combat be a hit at your table, no matter your player's level.
Ray used MCDM's new minion rules available for free to help him run this combat with fast pacing.
MCDM Flee Mortals free preview: https://shop.mcdmproductions.com/products/flee-mortals-preview-packet
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/RunningOffTheRails/
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel discuss Ray's recent experiences playing Gloomhaven with his dungeons and dragons group. Gloomhaven has 11 secret classes that players unlock and play as they retire characters. This is very different from how folks typically play D&D 5e where they typically play one character per campaign. What would a game of Dungeons and Dragons look like if we embraced the idea that we would be retiring our strongest characters and starting new characters that slightly lagged the rest of the party in power level?
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/RunningOffTheRails/
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel discuss the the benefit of running dnd in a detailed setting. Fifth edition is largely setting agnostic. People have used the fifth edition ruleset to run games in modern, ancient, high-magic, and low-magic fantasy genres. This gives people a ton of flexibility, but is in stark contrast with most RPGs (e.g. 7th Sea, Blades in the Dark, etc.). Ray and Ariel use some classic examples like the Dark Sun setting from older dungeons and dragons editions to show the benefits of choosing a tone-appropriate setting when planning a campaign. It may add extra work before sitting down to play, but it will help the players and the DM stay on the same page, and curate a tone for the road ahead.
Dark Sun Setting Guide Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G1vep6rcCI&t=5187s
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel discuss the Implicit Knowledge Disparity—the gap between what a player knows and what their character knows. When the player and their character are expected to know very little about the setting, dnd tends to run very smoothly. But when the character is expected to know a lot about the setting, you could end up with a large knowledge disparity. Ray and Ariel discuss how to design your campaign so that players implicitly know enough about the world to fulfill the fantasy you're excited to run. Whether that be a plane jumping campaign of novel exploration, or a deeply political campaign with alliances and back-stabbing in the very first sessions.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel both have found running high level dungeons and dragons to have serious challenges. Players have so many tools it can be hard to challenge them while building a story for your players that feels satisfying. Ray and Ariel look to examples of high magic, high power level adventures in Critical Role's EXU: Calamity and Netflix's DOTA Dragon Blood to discern what makes a good D&D setting for the highest tiers of power. The three most important lessons learned: no rest for the wicked, too much threat to handle, and relying on the characters' arcs.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray's player JJ feels that his Barbarian isn't as fun to play as Mark's Warlock or Ali's Cleric. This feeling that martial classes are under-tuned compared to spellcasting classes is a feeling that many players feel and take to the internet to discuss.
Ray and Ariel lay out the meta reason why they believe this is the case and detail 3 separate approaches that DMs can take to solve this dilemma at their DnD tables.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel discuss the loaded subject of "balance" in D&D. Ray asserts that balance is an illusion and that chasing it can be fruitless or a false target. After listening to this episode players and DMs will be able to more effectively evaluate balance at their table and make meaningful decisions that facilitate more fun for all of your players.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel follow up on the principles for great mysteries that they discussed in the previous episode to create their own mysteries. They each go through the mystery they wrote, discussing the specific tools and strategies they used to ensure that their players would get the full Mystery experience. Ray and Ariel share all the lessons learned from writing these mysteries, differentiating between the challenges of a short mystery and a mystery that is the centerpiece for a full campaign.
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter for updates about giveaways, blog posts, new Youtube content, and new DM's guild content.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel lay out how to deliver on the promise of the mystery genre at your D&D table. They start by teasing apart the nuances of an adventure that is structured around a mystery and how to give players the opportunity to solve a mystery themselves rather than explaining it as the players bear witness.
Ray and Ariel discuss the core elements of mystery board games and video games and how to port those key innovations into our D&D experience. What makes a good suspect? What makes good evidence? When do players love a Red Herring and when are they disappointed by one?
What about skill checks? Ray and Ariel suggest that we should throw them out if we hope to deliver a mystery, but what do we replace them with?
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter for updates about giveaways, blog posts, new Youtube content, and new DM's guild content.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Cory joins Ariel to discuss the extensive process he went through when designing his first homebrew class. They discuss how to balance mechanics and thematics, and how to take a concept for a class and split it into subclasses. Then Ariel talks through some of the challenges he's having refining his homebrew class for the publishing process.
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter for updates about giveaways, blog posts, new Youtube content, and new DM's guild content.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel discuss how to have constructive conversations about the morals your party will live by and society's morals you introduce as a DM. D&D is only partially a medieval fantasy analog, and our morals as people outside the game are going to influence what we enjoy roleplaying at the table. But uncritically adhering to our modern day morals, aka Presentism, can hurt fantasy escapism in the same ways that being inconsiderate of our modern morals can. Ray and Ariel bring up their own examples to show how they've navigated these potentially campaign-ending issues.
Kickstarter: https://runningofftherails.com/kickstarter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg
Ray and Ariel discuss how to emulate larger-than-life characters from fiction in TTRPGs with a tool called Gestalt Leveling. Gestalt Leveling means that when your characters level, they gain the features of two different classes simultaneously. This works particularly well for small parties that might have too many gaps in their abilities. Many of the best larger-than-life characters are NPCs in your world. It can be difficult to make iconic NPCs because they can overshadow the players. A gestalt NPC can still be the kind of character from fiction that strikes out on their own and has inspiring stories to tell, without being an overwhelmingly high level.
Kickstarter: https://runningofftherails.com/kickstarter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg
Ray and Ariel discuss how to maintain Escapism in your game of Dungeons and Dragons. We discuss how tools like Lines and Veils can be used effectively to be deliberate about which hard problems you want to place front and center in your games, and which hard problems are better avoided.
Don't forget our kickstarter will in 2 days! For more information, along with instructions for our gemstone dice giveaway (!!), click on the links below.
Kickstarter: https://runningofftherails.com/kickstarter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg
Ray makes a status announcement on behalf of the Emery's Log team. Janek has joined the team as an editor and prompted us to create 4 new fiend eminences. We hit our first stretch goal, and we will begin work on Za'Ul and his Spire of Bones. Also 5 new raffle entry methods are detailed on the Running off the Rails Kickstarter page.
website: https://runningofftherails.com/kickstarter
Ray and Ariel discuss how to betray the party without ruining a campaign. Betrayals are the climax of many great stories, and we want to include them in our tabletop fantasy fulfillment. Ray and Ariel discuss different ways a betrayal can be a win-win for the party and the betraying character instead of a zero sum game. It's important to think about how everyone can have fun before thinking about winning. Don't forget our kickstarter will end soon! For more information, along with instructions for our gemstone dice giveaway (!!), click on the links below.
Kickstarter Url: https://runningofftherails.com/kickstarter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg
Ray announces our Stretch Goals on behalf of the Emery's Log team and celebrates hitting the $1000 milestone.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Running off the Rails website: https://runningofftherails.com/kickstarter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Ray thanks the community on behalf of the Emery's Log team and announces an exciting thank you gift that will be getting added to Emery's Log.
Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Running off the Rails website: https://runningofftherails.com/kickstarter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences is live on Kickstarter Right Now. We added some early backer options explicitly for long time listeners of the show, so be sure to check out the kickstarter sooner rather than later.
If you would like a sample of the kickstarter, fill out the form at https://runningofftherails.com/kickstarter. Filling out the form will also enter you once into the URWizards Purple Cats Eye Gemstone Dice Giveaway. There will be up to 10 total opportunities to enter additional raffle tickets in your name though, so if you really want them, we recommend following our instagram for the most up to date information.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg URWizards Purple Cats Eye Gemstone Dice: https://urwizards.com/products/urwizards-dnd-engraved-purple-cats-eye-stone-dice-set-nordic-style
Ray and Ariel discuss how to design encounters using round-by-round objectives. Players can often go through a combat on autopilot, just using their strongest attack every round, and not feeling engages. If the stakes of the combat change each round, players have to pay attention and think on their feet. Ray and Ariel provide a wide variety of ways to bring different objectives into combat, from using different kinds of enemies, to enemies that have exciting plans of their own, to wild and changing terrain that puts a wrench in your players' plans.
Don't forget our kickstarter is launching soon! For more information, along with instructions for our gemstone dice giveaway (!!), click on the links below.
Form Url: https://runningofftherails.com/kickstarter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg
URWizards Purple Cats Eye Gemstone Dice: https://urwizards.com/products/urwizards-dnd-engraved-purple-cats-eye-stone-dice-set-nordic-style
We are excited to announce that on Wednesday, April 13th at 11am EST, our first ever Kickstarter goes live. We are announcing this early so that our long-time listeners are prepared to take advantage of a limited number of discounted backer options. We created these explicitly as a way of saying thank you for taking this journey with us.
If you would like a sample of the kickstarter, fill out the form on this website. Filling out the form will also enter you once into the URWizards Purple Cats Eye Gemstone Dice Giveaway. There will be up to 10 total opportunities to enter additional raffle tickets in your name though, so if you really want them, we recommend following our instagram for the most up to date information.
Form Url: https://runningofftherails.com/kickstarter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg
URWizards Purple Cats Eye Gemstone Dice: https://urwizards.com/products/urwizards-dnd-engraved-purple-cats-eye-stone-dice-set-nordic-style
Ray and Ariel discuss 4th Edition Monster Roles and how they can be applied to make your 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons combat encounters more exciting. If you have played games like Team Fortress 2, Overwatch, and League of Legends, you are acutely aware of how unit specialization can make a game. Leverage this expertise in your game of D&D to make your next combat one to remember.
Roles Quick Reference:
Artillery, Brute, Controller, Lurker, Leader, Skirmisher, & Soldier
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg
After watching Riot's hit new show Arcane, Ray and Ariel both wanted to recreate the epic drama they saw in their home games of D&D. In this episode, they answer the questions: Why were the character arcs and the drama of Arcane so engaging? And how exactly can we bring these to our tables? Ray and Ariel discuss how the simplicity and interconnectedness of the factions in Arcane can be replicated without starting a new campaign from scratch. And come up with ways the technological battles in Arcane can tie in to a more traditional D&D setting.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg
Ray and Ariel examine the explicit expectations of high-level characters in Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (D&D 2nd Edition). In D&D 2e, it is clearly stated that high-level characters are expected to manage forts, temples, and sanctuaries. The Druid even goes so far as to remove levels from characters that lose their positions in Druidic society. D&D 5e may have removed these explicit rules from the game to increase flexibility, but in doing so they are perhaps setting up DMs and Players for disappointment. High-level D&D still BEGS political and regional questions of high-level adventurers, but players and DMs don't always know what they are signing up for.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg
Ray and Ariel discuss Convergent and Divergent design. When is each useful? Then Ray and Ariel apply these concepts to an analysis of MCDM's new Dungeons and Dragons class, the Beastheart.
MCDM's Beastheart: https://shop.mcdmproductions.com/collections/beastheart-class-companions/products/beastheart-companions
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg
Ray and Ariel respond to a question from a listener who asked what they can do to make combat more interesting for a player whose character is unconscious. They discuss all kinds of potential solutions, from incentivizing other players to heal downed characters, to wholesale changes to the rules of unconsciousness. Both mechanical changes and role play changes are on the table so that every gaming group can find a style of play that works best for them.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg
Ray and Ariel discuss how previous editions of dungeons and dragons made progression feel more earned, and how we can get use these lessons to improve our fifth edition games. There are three priorities Ray and Ariel outline when deciding how to level your party: 1) Player engagement, 2) Realism with narrative character development, and 3) Uniqueness of characters as they progress. They discuss strategies for each of these priorities and offer a campaign-shaping suggestion for a way to get a healthy dose of all three.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg
Ray and Ariel discuss how some skill checks can feel anti-climactic. How can we make important Persuasion, Insight, and Investigation checks feel more suspenseful? How can we mitigate the risk of an important narrative moment going "all wrong" because of a single bad dice roll. How can we make intense political encounters feel like a combat with hits and misses rather than a single roll. Also Ray and JJ play chess for a magic item? All this and more on this week's episode of running off the rails.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg
Ray and Ariel do something a little different and look back on the past year of making this podcast together. They discuss some of the advice that has impacted their own games the most, the published materials they've been inspired by, and the future of the podcast going forward.
If you enjoyed today's episode, please share us with a friend. You can support the show by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg
Ray is joined by the creator of DnDestiny, GoodGameKitty, to discuss how all DMs design and curate the game at their table. Kitty gives some pointers about how to bring your favorite mechanics and experiences from video games to your own table. The world of video game design has so many amazing resources; we should not ignore this source of research, design, play testing, and inspiration.
If you want to join the DnDestiny community today, join the Velvet Fang Discord: https://discord.gg/velvetfang
If you want to start playing DnDestiny FOR FREE today, download the game materials here: https://dndestinyproject.com/
If you enjoyed today's episode, please share us with a friend. You can support the show by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg
Ray and Ariel talk about how to make conditions more exciting at your table. How can you present conditions to your players in ways that feel threatening and uncertain? How can you homebrew conditions at your table to make poisons, curses, and diseases "explorable?" Really highlight what is different about your setting by customizing the environmental dangers that are unique there.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel help build magic items that deliberately add the right amount of power-ups and new story hooks. An item that is very powerful will likely change your combats, and an item that is legendary and consequential can push your campaign in a brand new direction. Ray and Ariel use The Arms of Accord from Arcadia issue 10 as a great example of magical items that can be as powerful or as legendary as you need them to be.
Arcadia #10 is purchasable now for $12 on The MCDM Store Or you can join the MCDM Patreon to acquire all existing issues of Arcadia *We are not affiliated with MCDM, nor do we gain any monetary rewards for purchases of their product. We just think it is inspired work worthy of attention. Our selfish desire is that by promoting Arcadia, MCDM is persuaded to publish further issues.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray interviews Trevor Armstrong, the creator of the Grim Press. The Grim Press has launched a variety of ultra-successful 3rd party D&D 5E supplements including Adaptable NPCs. The Grim Press successfully launched the Allies and Antagonists on Kickstarter at $19,151 USD.
First, Trevor discusses his core design philosophy when creating memorable NPC statblocks.
Then, Trevor provides critical feedback to Ray for his Platinum Talon NPC statblock.
The original and revised versions of the Platinum Talon are available on Instagram here: https://instagram.com/runningofftherails/
A PDF of the Platinum Talon is available here: https://bit.ly/rotr_pt
Check out the Grim Press on your favorite platforms:
Website: https://www.grimpress.net/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/grimpress
Mailing List: https://grimpress.net/mailing-list/
Discord: https://discord.gg/N7MM93a
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheGrimPress
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GrimPress
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrimPress/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grim_press/
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/GrimPress/
Ray and Ariel discuss a hot topic in the TTRPG community: is it wrong for player characters to use meta knowledge at the the table. In this episode, we make the case that meta knowledge can not only make many D&D encounters safer and more fun, but it can also engage the players as the DM's audience members. After all, there's no more engaged reader than a coauthor.
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter for updates about giveaways, blog posts, new Youtube content, and new DM's guild content.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel help start your adventure off with a funnel adventure to play through your character's humble pre-heroic beginnings at the table. As an example, we walk through Filthy Peasants, a port of a classic funnel to 5th edition D&D from MCDM's ninth issue of Arcadia. We discuss how it can make that first day of adventurers meeting up a lot less awkward and extremely fun. But be careful: it can be a little risky.
Arcadia #9 is purchasable now for $7on The MCDM Store Or you can join the MCDM Patreon to acquire all existing issues of Arcadia *We are not affiliated with MCDM, nor do we gain any monetary rewards for purchases of their product. We just think it is inspired work worthy of attention. Our selfish desire is that by promoting Arcadia, MCDM is persuaded to publish further issues.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ben from We Speak Common joins us for another episode to discuss his homebrew world. What is the difference between taking inspiration and being derivative? When does it become worth it to write your own homebrew world? We discuss this and more on today's episode of Running off the Rails.
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter for updates about giveaways, blog posts, new Youtube content, and new DM's guild content.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ben from We Speak Common joins Ray to discuss his priority list when planning a session of D&D. How does this list affect the resulting session? What are the differences between Ray and Ben's lists and how can those differences be felt by players. We cover all this and more.
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter for updates about giveaways, blog posts, new Youtube content, and new DM's guild content.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Mark joins Ray to discuss supporting different styles of play. Mark prefers a looser interpretation of the rules and asserts that Ray wouldn't enjoy playing in his game. Mark and Ray go off the rails and discover that they want VERY different things from D&D 5.5e.
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter for updates about giveaways, blog posts, new Youtube content, and new DM's guild content.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ali joins Ray to discuss a time when Ray disappointed her as her DM. Ali talks about how players can bring critical feedback to their DM in a productive way and how DMs can create an environment that fosters collaboration and problem-solving.
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter for updates about giveaways, blog posts, new Youtube content, and new DM's guild content.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray is joined by special guest, Ace, creator of the Forged Concordance to discuss playing D&D on Discord. There are many D&D Discord servers that connect hundreds of players. Many games are run every day allowing players to play D&D on their own schedule. DMs are in demand and can schedule a game to be run whenever they feel like it. Level up your game by joining The Forged Concordance today.
If you want to join the Forged Concordance, join them here: discord.gg/tfc
West Marches is a powerful model that you can bring to your home game also. Ray uses it to run for as few as 8 coworkers with conflicting schedules and tastes in style of play.
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter for updates about giveaways, blog posts, new Youtube content, and new DM's guild content.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Ray and Ariel discuss "The Future of D&D" panel that occurred at D&D Celebration 2021. We discuss how it unlikely it is that Wizards of the Coast will make meaningful changes to the way 5th edition works today. Fear not though, instead of waiting until 2024 for Wizards of the Coast to release the new core rulebooks, bring the changes you are excited about seeing to your game with homebrew today.
Ray and Ariel talk about when they bring homebrew into their games. They share their thought process about when and how they find the right supplement for them. We hope this information will empower players and DMs to take matters into their own hands instead of pining for official changes that may never come.
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter for updates about giveaways, blog posts, new Youtube content, and new DM's guild content.
Ray and Ariel learn lessons from creative writing to improve their DMing skills. Brandon Sanderson talks about the importance of character and plot over setting in creative writing. We explore the parallels between a Dungeons and Dragons character/plot/setting structure with a more traditional structure from the world of fiction. We discuss the different ways character and plot are created in a collaborative environment, but also find many similarities that can provide a template for homebrew content.
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It is the only means we have to get the show in front of new listeners.
Ray and Ariel discuss how gold quickly shifts from a player problem to a DM problem in D&D. After buying that set of plate armor, your players usually run out of cool, available things to buy. This is often paired with a sudden explosion of gold handed out by DMs, resulting in players carrying around Tens of Thousands of gold pieces with nothing to spend it on. We offer some nuanced solutions to keep players feeling that gold is valuable even at the higher tiers of play in this week's episode of Running off the Rails.
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It is the only means we have to get the show in front of new listeners.
Ray and Ariel look at the catch-22 of dangerous Dungeons and Dragons encounters. On the one hand, not every creature in the world should be the same level as your characters. On the other hand, balanced encounters tend to be the most fun, and are important for any campaign. We walk through three ways you as a DM can put completely insane combats in front of your players and know that they will feel good about the high-stakes, dangerous encounters. These are scary waters for DMs to wade in, but a dangerous D&D setting is a big part of the players' fantasy fulfillment. And when done well, sets the stage for life-long tabletop memories.
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It is the only means we have to get the show in front of new listeners.
Ray and Ariel explore one of the toughest challenges in D&D: can you create epic battle for your campaign? Large scale clashes between your enemies and your allies have been a part of published dungeons and dragons adventures forever, but the rules haven't supported them. Ray and Ariel discuss why these kinds of battles are so important for your party's fun and agency in their world, and show how the new warfare rules from MCDM can be used to facilitate them.
Kingdoms & Warfare is purchasable now for $30 on The MCDM Store *We are not affiliated with MCDM, nor do we gain any monetary rewards for purchases of their product. We just think it is inspired work worthy of attention.
If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Ray and Ariel help make your adventuring party's faction feel fantastical and exciting throughout your campaign. As an example, we walk through The Pickling Guild, a perfect prototype for your party from MCDM's seventh issue of Arcadia. We discuss how it succeeds in some places where more traditional factions, like The Harpers from Wizards of the Coast, are lacking.
Arcadia #7 is purchasable now for $7on The MCDM Store Or you can join the MCDM Patreon to acquire all existing issues of Arcadia We are not affiliated with MCDM, nor do we gain any monetary rewards for purchases of their product. We just think it is inspired work worthy of attention. Our selfish desire is that by promoting Arcadia, MCDM is persuaded to publish further issues. If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram*. It is the only means we have to get the show in front of new listeners.
Ray, Ariel and Ben discuss common misconceptions about running darkness and darkvision in D&D. Then we dig into how to really leverage darkness in your game as a set piece in your combats and setting.
If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter. If you want more Ben, check out his show We Speak Common.
Ray and Ariel explore ways to make artifact-level magic items special and engaging to your players throughout an entire campaign. They also warn listeners of the ways powerful artifacts can make your Dungeons and Dragons game less fun. For some examples of both scenarios, we once again dive into MCDM's new flagship product, Kingdoms & Warfare, and check out its new magic items.
Kingdoms & Warfare is purchasable now for $30 on The MCDM Store *We are not affiliated with MCDM, nor do we gain any monetary rewards for purchases of their product. We just think it is inspired work worthy of attention.
If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Ray and Ariel try to disprove the assumption that being a party of "murder hobos" is the wrong way to play Dungeons and Dragons. We look at how the rules of D&D encourage players to kill their foes, and we give DMs the tools to embrace their players' power fantasies while maintaining a realistic and character focused story. If you've ever felt like your game of D&D doesn't have the right tone or people have mismatched expectations, this episode will help you figure out ways for everyone at the table to enjoy themselves without having to compromise their favorite parts of the game.
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It is the only means we have to get the show in front of new listeners.
Ray and Ariel discuss what makes a compelling rival in fiction and how to incorporate one into a D&D campaign. We lay out a checklist for designing compelling rivals so that your players will love to compete against them throughout the adventure. Then, we go over The Grim Accord, an evil adventuring party from MCDM's sixth issue of Arcadia, and talk about how they could fit into your campaign.
Arcadia #5 is purchasable now for $7on The MCDM Store Or you can join the MCDM Patreon to acquire all existing issues of Arcadia
We are not affiliated with MCDM, nor do we gain any monetary rewards for purchases of their product. We just think it is inspired work worthy of attention. Our selfish desire is that by promoting Arcadia, MCDM is persuaded to publish further issues.
If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram.
Ray and Ariel dive into MCDM's newest flagship product, Kingdoms & Warfare. Today we cover the monsters section of the book and discuss Villainous Actions. Matt Colville first discusses Action-Oriented Monsters in this YouTube Video.
Kingdoms & Warfare is purchasable now for $30on The MCDM Store*We are not affiliated with MCDM, nor do we gain any monetary rewards for purchases of their product. We just think it is inspired work worthy of attention.
If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagramand Twitter
Ray and Ariel discuss what makes a good one shot for D&D. We lay out a checklist for keeping your players engaged while making sure your session stays short and sweet. Then, we go over two examples of published material that implement these concepts in different ways. And at the end, Ray regales us with the story of his first one shot as a cautionary tale for what not to do.
If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It is the only means we have to get the show in front of new listeners.
Ray and Ariel discuss what is at the core of every faction in D&D. We sort through some of the logistics you will need to cover and the different levers you can pull to make your factions feel unique. Then, we improvise a faction from scratch using the list we discuss in the beginning of the episode.
If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It is the only means we have to get the show in front of new listeners.
Ray and Ariel dive into MCDM's FIFTH issue of Arcadia. Arcadia is a supplemental magazine that equips DMs and players alike with new and inspiring content. We discuss Leon Barillaro's maladies in "Long Term Curses," Carlos Cisco’s greed based character options, "Goldmonger Subclasses," and Sam Mannell’s new spells from "Alabaster’s Almanac".
Arcadia #5 is purchasable now for $7on The MCDM Store Or you can join the MCDM Patreon to acquire all existing issues of Arcadia We are not affiliated with MCDM, nor do we gain any monetary rewards for purchases of their product. We just think it is inspired work worthy of attention. Our selfish desire is that by promoting Arcadia, MCDM is persuaded to publish further issues. If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram*. It is the only means we have to get the show in front of new listeners.
Ray and Ariel discuss what is at the core of every faction in D&D. We sort through some of the logistics you will need to cover and the different levers you can pull to make your factions feel unique. Then, we improvise a faction from scratch using the list we discuss in the beginning of the episode.
If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It is the only means we have to get the show in front of new listeners.
Ray and Ariel Improvise a Lvl 5 and a Lvl 10 encounter. We hope that by demonstrating our own creative process, others will gain pieces of an actionable formula that they can use to apply to their own encounter design. We tinker with an existing monstrous statblock and create an encounter against humanoid foes. We discuss how to change the monsters not to just make them more challenging, but to facilitate the fantastical cinematics we want the encounter to envoke.
If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram. It is the only means we have to get the show in front of new listeners.
Ray and Ariel dive into MCDM's FOURTH issue of Arcadia. Arcadia is a supplemental magazine that equips DMs and players alike with new and inspiring content. We discuss Willy Abeel's mounts, and magic items in "Swimming Through Sand To Sea," Cat Evans' new location, "The Chained Library," and Derek Ruiz's "On-The-Road Encounters".
Arcadia #4 is purchasable now for $7 on The MCDM Store Or you can join the MCDM Patreon to acquire all existing issues of Arcadia *We are not affiliated with MCDM, nor do we gain any monetary rewards for purchases of their product. We just think it is inspired work worthy of attention. Our selfish desire is that by promoting Arcadia, MCDM is persuaded to publish further issues. If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram. It is the only means we have to get the show in front of new listeners.
Ray and Ariel discuss a few of the major decisions a DM makes when designing a pantheon for their game. Is any god on the table? How can a DM choose a duality pantheon like Law vs Chaos, but still be supportive of a player that wants to worship a god or saint of death? When is the best time to start planning your pantheon? Do you need to have it nailed down before the first session? We discuss all this and more.
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
Sometimes we can poor our heart into building a portion of the world that our players never end up encountering. Other times the task can seem so large and daunting that we have trouble approaching worldbuilding at all. Ray and Ariel discuss specific strategies, tactics, and tools that we use to worldbuild our D&D settings with intention.
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
Special guest JJ, Ray, and Ariel discuss what to do when what you want to do isn't what your character would want to do.
Sometimes it makes sense to make player decisions for characters instead of purely roleplay-driven decisions. What will result in the best time and the best story for everyone at the table? We discuss how to navigate conflict that arises when different style players clash at the same table.
...and we talk about a whole bunch of other stuff... this one kinda got away from us.
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
Ray and Ariel discuss the advantages of Battle Maps vs Theater Of The Mind. When should you reach for one tool instead of the other? If you feel your combats dragging or feel like your players aren't interacting with their environments this is the episode for you.
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It is the only means we have to get the show in front of new listeners.
Ray and Ariel dive into MCDM's new D&D 5e class, The Illrigger. We discuss our thoughts about this new content and what pieces of inspiration we want to bring to our own games.
The Illrigger is a knight from Avernas that serves the interests of the plane, standing above the squabbles of the Devil Lords that reside there. This anti-paladin gets a large array of infernal abilities that allow them to serve in the Order of Desolation.
The Illrigger is purchasable on The MCDM Store for $6.66
We are not affiliated with MCDM, nor do we gain any rewards for purchases of their product. We just think it is inspired work worthy of attention. Our selfish desire is that by promoting MCDM, that they are persuaded to publish further content. If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It is the only means we have to get the show in front of new listeners.
Ray and Ariel discuss the virtues of running D&D at level 2. Many will try to persuade you that level 3 or 5 is best. It is easy to point at iconic abilities like Fireball and Extra Attack and claim that the best D&D can only be played when players have access to them.
Why then is level 2 best? Listen to find out!
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It is the only means we have to get the show in front of new listeners.
Ray and Ariel discuss the reasons why a DM might roll out in the open in front of their players. What purpose does the DM's screen serve if you are rolling in the open?
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It is the only means we have to get the show in front of new listeners.
Ray and Ariel discuss the stigma that surrounds players that optimize their character builds and how they get a bad rap. We dispel the myth that choosing to Min-Max will harm your ability to Role Play. Choosing to play a haphazard build does not make you a more virtuous player and in some circumstances will harm your ability to contribute to a collaborative narrative.
We offer actionable tips and tricks to help players fulfill their fantasy and build a character that will allow them to contribute to the story in a meaningful way.
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It is the only means we have to get the show in front of new listeners.
Ray and Ariel discuss the world-building of Madoka Magica and the pieces that we feel inspired to bring to our D&D games. We find inspiration for our games and our worlds in the strangest places sometimes. This was the second episode that we recorded ever, so the audio is a bit echo-y.
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It is the only means we have to get the show in front of new listeners.
Ray thinks we should start killing player characters again. Ariel thinks that killing player characters is a good way to ruin a good time. We go to battle for our beliefs and provide a number of examples and tools "to kill or not to kill"
We discuss how it is easier to kill a player character in a fictional game rather than in a fantasy game: Matthew Colville, Fiction vs Fantasy
If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It is the only means we have to get the show in front of new listeners.
Ray and Ariel dive into MCDM's THIRD issue of Arcadia. Arcadia is a supplemental magazine that equips DMs and players alike with new and inspiring content. We discuss Justice Arman's new playable races, "The Dream Kin", Celeste Conowitch's new spells, "Ten Spells You Need In 5e", Sam Mannell's aerial combat rules, "Aces High", and Alison Huang's adventure for 3rd level characters "A Diamond In The Rough".
Arcadia #3 is purchasable now for $7 on The MCDM Store *We are not affiliated with MCDM, nor do we gain any monetary rewards for purchases of their product. We just think it is inspired work worthy of attention. Our selfish desire is that by promoting Arcadia, MCDM is persuaded to publish further issues. If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram. It is the only means we have to get the show in front of new listeners.
Ray and Ariel discuss the game Ryuutama and how running a TTRPG not based around combat has affected our D&D games. How would your game change if your players could not resolve conflicts through combat? How would your game change if your players did not have character classes, but chose only backgrounds?
If you like the show please share us with your friends, and follow us on Instagram.
Ray and Ariel discuss tips and tricks to increase collaborative storytelling at your table. How can you give your players more space and opportunity to own narration around their character's actions, spells, and backstories?
We discuss how you can identify when Role Play is counterproductive to pacing and strategies you can use to get your players unstuck.
If you like the show please share us with your friends, and follow us on Instagram.
Ray and Ariel dive into alignment in D&D. Conventional wisdom is to throw out alignment, but what happens when an alignment-based magic item appears in your game? We offer specific tips and tricks to incorporate alignment into your games without all the controversy that typically accompanies it.
If you like the show please share us with your friends, and follow us on Instagram.
Do your players always want a Long Rest? Do you have a split of Long Rest and Short Rest classes in your group and you don't know how to manage their expectations? Ariel and Ray talk about Resting mechanics in D&D and offer actionable tips to persuade your players to not rest after every encounter. They discuss how to manage players' expectations and how to incentivize them to push forward without max health and spell slots.
If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram.
Ray and Ariel dive into MCDM's SECOND issue of Arcadia. Arcadia is a supplemental magazine that equips DMs and players alike with new and inspiring content. In part two of our review, we discuss Joshua Mendenhall's Subclasses of the Seasons, Makenzie De Armas' Periodic Table of Elementals, and Rich Lecouflair's Well of the Lost Gods.
Arcadia #2 is purchasable now for $7 on The MCDM Store
*We are not affiliated with MCDM, nor do we gain any monetary rewards for purchases of their product. We just think it is inspired work worthy of attention. Our selfish desire is that by promoting Arcadia, MCDM is persuaded to publish further issues.
If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram. It is the only means we have to get the show in front of new listeners.
We released our first product on DM's Guild. Ray and Ariel discuss the design philosophy and process involved in making Pact of the Dragon God, a Warlock subclass for D&D 5e.
Use your spell slots to grow dragon wings, claws, and talons. Change your spells to deal elemental damage. Describe acid-flavored lightning bolt as a fearsome Black Dragon's breath weapon. Gain access to Dragon stat blocks with the Polymorph spell.
You can purchase Pact of the Dragon Gods here on the DM's Guild. Typically, the DM's Guild splits royalties 50/50, but we have agreed to give all of our royalties to the Doctor's Without Borders charity and the DM's Guild has matched us with 90% of their royalties. ($1.90 of the $1.99 goes to Doctors Without Borders).
If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram. It is the only means we have to get the show in front of new listeners.
The cover art is by Refluo and the image used under license from Shutterstock.com.
Ray and Ariel discuss why we should all stop using the phrase the Matthew Mercer Effect. The Matthew Mercer Effect (MME) has become a scapegoat and a Shibboleth for the lazy Dungeon Master that has failed to effectively communicate with their players.
If you prefer to read, we discuss the points and arguments in this episode in this article.
The MME is often used to describe obnoxious players that berate their DMs for not running a game similar to produced D&D performances like Critical Role, Dimension20, or The Adventure Zone. I am sympathetic; it is easier to explain away a conflict than to resolve it head-on. However, it is impolite when we shift that blame to another person and it becomes tasteless when that person has acted as a significant catalyst to the table-top roleplaying game renaissance we are experiencing today. The next time you hear or see someone use the phrase Matthew Mercer Effect, challenge them. It is rude to blame Matthew Mercer for the problems in your group and complaining about him and Critical Role certainly isn’t going to solve them.
If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram. It is the only means we have to spread the word and put our show in front of new listeners.
Counterspell is problematic as written. The short description is rife with unexplained edge cases and leaves the internet to clarify these technicalities. Then when you finally understand how Counterspell is meant to be used rules as written, you realize that it slows down the pace of the game and encourages dishonest play from DMs and Players. We examine all these elements and offer changes you can make to fix Counterspell in your game.
If you would like a consolidated resource with all these tips and tricks. Check out this blog article.
If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram. It is the only means we have to spread the word and put our show in front of new listeners.
Ray and Ariel dive into MCDM's first issue of Arcadia. Arcadia is a supplemental magazine that equips DMs and players alike with new and inspiring content. In part two of our review, we discuss Willy Abeel's Jumping On Mounted Combat mechanics and Sadie Lowry's Uqaviel, The Recreant world-ending lore and stat blocks. Arcadia is purchasable now for $7 on the MCDM Store
*We are not affiliated with MCDM, nor do we gain any monetary rewards for purchases of their product. We just think it is inspired work worthy of attention. Our selfish desire is that by promoting Arcadia, MCDM is persuaded to publish further issues.
If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram. It is the only means we have to spread the word and put our show in front of new listeners.
Ray and Ariel dive into MCDM's first issue of Arcadia. Arcadia is a supplemental magazine that equips DMs and players alike with new and inspiring content. In part one of our review, we discuss Leon Barillaro's The Workshop Watches adventure and Gabe Hicks' Titan Heart Sorcerer subclass.
Arcadia #1 is purchasable now for $7 on the MCDM Store
*We are not affiliated with MCDM, nor do we gain any monetary rewards for purchases of their product. We just think it is inspired work worthy of attention. Our selfish desire is that by promoting Arcadia, MCDM is persuaded to publish further issues.
If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram. It is the only means we have to spread the word and put our show in front of new listeners.
Can your players never remember the names of your locations or NPCs?
Ray and Ariel discuss the limits of short-term memory. They offer some specific tips and techniques to help you free up valuable slots for new players who could struggle with the hundreds of rules in Dungeons and Dragons or any table-top roleplaying game. We hope you enjoy.
If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram. It is the only means we have to spread the word and put our show in front of new listeners.
Ray and Ariel discuss running travel in D&D. They discuss the opportunity cost of running travel and what can be added to it to make it time well spent. They offer specific tools and examples of how you can make travel unique and something that players look forward to. We hope you enjoy.
If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram. It is the only means we have to spread the word and put our show in front of new listeners.
Ray and Ariel discuss how to run 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons. Should you use Sandboxing or Railroading as your foundational style? We offer some actionable tips and tricks to help Game Masters experiment with both styles. Though we use D&D as the vehicle to discuss these concepts they are applicable to other popular roleplaying games like Blades in The Dark, Star Wars Fantasy Flight, Fate Core, Call of Cthulhu, Monster of the Week, Cyberpunk Red, and Masks.
If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram. It is the only means we have to spread the word and put our show in front of new listeners.