Sly Flourish

Below is an archive of all of the Sly Flourish DM Tip Twitter posts for December 2009. Get your own daily DM tips at http://twitter.com/slyflourish!

Great #dnd article from roleplaying tips: 9 Things Dragon Age Taught Me About Running a Better Game: http://bit.ly/learnfromdao

#dnd tip: Don’t bore your friends with tales of your D&D adventure. It’s like talking about your child’s poopie diapers. No one cares.

#dnd tip: Don’t plan your campaign further out than the next two adventures. Let the story grow organically from the actions of the PCs.

#dnd tip: Don’t fall to deus-ex machina when your group is captured and held prisoner. Work with the players to find an escape they control.

#dnd tip. Want a classic feel? Use fewer monsters, add +1/2 level to damage and give them lots of action points.

#dnd tip: Don’t get too caught up in your own storyline – remember this is your players’ story, not yours!

Want to track the latest D&D 4th Edition blogs? Follow @4eblogs or visit http://4eblogs.com and subscribe to the RSS feed. #dnd

#dnd tip: For fast and furious battles, average out monster damage instead of rolling dice for normal monsters.

Really enjoying Corvus Corax’s Viator as a D&D soundtrack. Mixing it with pop 80s and 90s tunes for an electic Tarrantino-esque soundtrack.

#dnd tip: Starting your PCs out as agents of an Eberron noble house is a great break from the “you all meet in a bar” PC origin.

#dnd tip: Describe the components of a trap and let your player talk about how they’re going to screw with it.

#dnd tip: Find out what fiction your players enjoy reading or watching. Find ways to bring that into the story you’re running.

.@newbiedm I play successes and failures in a skill challenge by ear. If the players are having fun, I keep it going. If not, I end it. #dnd

RT from @Wizards_DnD: Schwalb discusses playing with a large groups and offers tips for games of all sizes http://bit.ly/56y6lF #dnd -Great!

@DaveTheGame @gamefiend I’d love to hear more about #dnd soundtracks. I like mixing instrumental with pop / rock Tarrantino style.

Excellent Dungeon’s Master article on Epic Tier: http://bit.ly/6spFvQ – particularly on the “let them have fun” tip. Great article!

#dnd tip: Having trouble bringing your players into your world? Find pop culture references that get them excited or entertain them.

#dnd things to do on #snowpocalypse2009: organize dungeon tiles, play “Dark Awakenings”, outline 21-30 campaign, sign up for SynDCon. Yours?

#dnd tip: Use household items as physical props in your dungeon. A flower vase with some lights in it quickly becomes a soul-well.

#dnd tip: Use Mega-Mini’s “Dungeon Decor” to spice up your Dwarven Forge setups. Good dungeons are in the details.

#dnd tip: Print out Quest and NPC cheat-sheets for your players to make it easy for them to remember who is who and what they need to do.

#dnd tip: Keep the number of new NPCs you introduce to five or less. Too many and your players will never remember them. Three is preferred.

#dnd tip: DMG2 p 202-203 has a great list of Sigil’s notable NPCs with many built in hooks. Use it for character driven Sigil adventures.

#dnd tips: Seek opportunities to play as a player rather than DM all the time. It gives you a view from the other side of the table.

RT @cwgabriel: follow @PADnD if you want to hear how my #DnD games go.

Making play-lists for my #dnd game on Wednesday. David Bowie’s “Cat People” is a cool theme song for a shady god-slaying assassin.

#dnd tip: Always be careful with betrayal in your game. Some might think its cool, but some may really hate it. Especially PC betrayal.

#dnd tip: Keep track of diseases. They are one of the few mechanics that last after extended rests. Don’t forget about them!

#dnd tip: Consider the physical mechanics of traps. How would an ancient spike-trap still work after 10,000 years of neglect?

#dnd tip: Come up with a theme song for your arch-villains. Get your players used to it so they recognize it before the villain shows up.

After a lot of tweaking, http://4eblogs.com/ is up and running solid. Subscribe to the latest 4e blog postings at @4eblogs. RSS as well.

RT @newbiedm: New Post: “Is the encounter worth it?” http://newbiedm.com/2009/12/23/is-the-encounter-worth-it/ #dnd #4e

.@newbiedm Paragon is a big change – probably the biggest. On solos, cut hp by 1/2 and boost dmg by +1/2 level to make them exciting. #dnd

Bravo to Peter Lee and @Wizards_DND for the “Lost Library” adventure: http://bit.ly/62012l – it uses both Dungeon Tiles and #dnd minis!

.@aquelajames’s DDI Dungeon Dressing article is really fantastic. Great tips for pimping up dungeons and encounters. http://bit.ly/81APOQ

#dnd tip: Put a dot in your rulebooks next to rules changed with the WOTC errata. A red dot can tell you which rules are out of date.

#dnd tip: Learn to love page 42 in the DMG and on your DM screen. Use it for ad-hoc challenges or random damage done to or by the PCs.

#dnd tip: Consider Stephen King’s favorite 10 villains as models for your nastiest NPCs: http://bit.ly/3XmMpz

#dnd tip: Use a PC skill-matrix spreadsheet to keep track of your PCs and their skills and develop challenges based on their choices.