DM Tips Twitter Archive: January 2011
by Mike Shea on 12 February 2011
Below is an archive of all of the Sly Flourish DM Tip Twitter posts for January 2011. Get daily DM tips at http://twitter.com/slyflourish!
I will probably milka months-worth of DM tips out of the Expert DM Panel podcast: http://j.mp/ij9Z4w Thanks @wolfstar76 and @squach!
Just picked up four fiendish snakes from Cool Stuff Inc. Generic snake minis are very handy in #dnd.
#dnd tip: Ogremoch from MM3 makes for a great final doomsday sort of boss. Reskin him into whatever world-ending big bad you have in mind.
Interesting review of the despair cards in the upcoming Shadowfell boxed set by @dreadgazeebo: http://t.co/Zm6NRzc I like the idea a lot.
.@davethegame's "out" is probably the best way to get a 30 minute skirmish. When the mastermind falls, so do all the subordinates.
Need a cool one-handed gun for your Gamma World game? How about The Judge? http://t.co/OF7iaWD #dnd
Excellent notes from the #dnd experience Expert Dungeon Mastering seminar by @wolfstar76: http://t.co/kuCybsL
#dnd tip: Don't try to make something totally unique every time. Sometimes people just want to fight a room full of orcs.
#dnd tip: The knocked prone status effect is one of the better ones. It isn't too debilitating but it still makes life more difficult.
#dnd tip: Consider giving your pre-Monster Vault solos a free action attack that can instead remove stuns, dazes, or dominates.
How did I miss the #fourthcore #dnd traps and tricks by @saveversusdeath? They're awesome! http://j.mp/gwO4XQ
#dnd tip: Try running an encounter on the back of a great beast. Perhaps a battle on the backs of two dueling dragons!
My eulogy for #dnd Miniatures was just posted to @criticalhits : http://j.mp/hKU8aR
#dnd tip: Looking for a couple of good inspirational movies? Check out Brotherhood of the Wolf and Name of the Rose.
#dnd tip: Use Google Maps to get a map of your local area, print it, and write in your own fantastic Gamma World locations for your game.
#dnd tip: Write down the musings of your players and turn those musings into formal quests with quest cards.
#dnd tip: Learn from internet sage @davethegame and re-skin Monster Vault creatures for your Gamma World game. http://bit.ly/fQcp0f
#dnd tip: Belloc from Raiders of the Lost Arc is an excellent NPC archetype. He has clear motivation and he's smart! Use him.
Good video from @wizards_dnd showing what you get with the new deluxe #dnd DM Screen: http://j.mp/hWXR9C
#dnd tip: Scale monsters up or down easily by adding +1 per level to all rolls and increasing hitpoints by 10 per level.
#dnd tip: A good paper cutter makes it much easier and neater to cut initiative cards, monster knowledge cards, power cards, and quest cards
#dnd tip: When running a Gamma World game, assign one of the players the duty of Alpha Mutation and Omega Tech distribution.
#dnd tip: Pick up some $1 or less Star Wars minis to fill out your Gamma World PC races.
#dnd tip: Spend less time worrying about @wizards_dnd's business and more time making your own game awesome.
#dnd tip from @garouwithnoname: If you have a forward leaning group, let them decide the direction the game is headed instead of guiding it.
Tonight I handed the DM chair over to one of the other players. He ran a fun game and it was actually relaxing to sit on the other side.
#dnd tip: Print out and prepare quest cards so you can keep your group focused on the directions they want to go.
#dnd tip: Want to be a great DM? Be born in 1973 like @chattydm, @newbiedm, and I!
@chattydm @newbiedm There has to be some sort of Malcolm Gladwell "Outliers" sort of thing going on with 38 year old #dnd bloggers.
@chattydm @newbiedm Yep, 38 in May here. Seems like 73 was a good year for building rockin' DMs!
#dnd tip: Always pick up the cheaper more generic miniatures to fill out your collection. A handfull of orcs goes a long way.
Really enjoyed this article by @bandofmisfits on adding seasons to your #dnd game's storyline: http://j.mp/fEiKCx
@ThadeousC Reveal monster defenses on a 5x8 card folded in half. Speeds up the game significantly. Be damned with the mystery of defenses.
#dnd tip: Spend some time before your players arrive to arrange all the materials you need to get right down to playing when they arrive.
#dnd tip: Use small in-battle skill challenges to get folks moving and protect your elite or solo bosses from getting killed too quickly.
#dnd tip: Stuck in a boring meeting? Use the time by imagining and jotting down notes for some story seeds or NPC backgrounds.
Holy cow, here's about 100 free LFR #dnd adventures for you: http://j.mp/gnuU1a @wotc_rodney!
Absolutely awesome Gamma World character generator: http://j.mp/icWbXl by @dharmatel courtesy of @criticalhits
I love listening to the DM Round Table and harvesting it for future #dnd tips: http://j.mp/ekiu0Q
#dnd tip: Every solo above level 11 should have a way to get past daze and stun effects. Check out the dragons in the Monster Vault.
Awesome #dnd Force Dragon (including epic variants) by @rjschwalb: http://j.mp/dRzGWC
Depressing pictures of abandoned buildings in Detroit but great Gamma World muses!http://bit.ly/eBlsUS #dnd
#dnd tip: Break up large battles into phases that change environmental effects, monster powers, or adds waves of minions.
Awesome guide to fantastic terrain by @katokatonian : http://j.mp/hwZB6j #dnd
#dnd tip: Tiny amounts of fake spider web you bought last Halloween can also dress up your undead miniatures to make them ghostly.
If you enjoyed these tips, take a look at Sly Flourish’s Dungeon Master Tips book or use these links to purchase the Monster Manual 3, the Player Strategy Guide, the Heroes of the Fallen Lands or bookmark this link to purchase anything from Amazon. You might also pick up some Gamemastery Flip-Maps from Troll and Toad, an official Sly Flourish sponsor.
Send feedback to mike@mikeshea.net.
