DM Tips Twitter Archive: June 2009
by Mike Shea on 2 July 2009
awesome tip of using a double dog dish as a dice roller from @unclebear : http://tr.im/qnB8
send email to specific players to give them info only their character knows. Be careful not to drive a wedge between them, though.
Dungeoncraft essays by Ray Winninger recommended by Mike Mearls: http://tr.im/qeLN
little cut out circles of red construction paper make great pools of blood to decorate the battlefield during an encounter.
try running random encounters without a battle map. Just use descriptions. Mix them with skill challenges.
tape or paste the errata update to difficulty check scores per level to your DM screen. It's a valuable aid.
add some normal skirmishers two or three rounds into your big solo battle.
turn your character into a deck by using hard card sleeves with the character and power cards from the Builder.
Write your own flavor text. Keep it short and make it heroic or epic.
Draw your power gamer in with an intelligent item that grants nice bonuses with the right roleplaying.
Remember that power gamers are a legitimate player type. Make the game exciting for them with detaled and interesting encounters.
Have a rules lawyer at the table? Make his or position official as a rules moderator. Make sure they are objective, though.
set up your battles and try a few rounds out solo to get a feel for the battlefield before the big game.
catagorize and store minis based on the numbers you have. Mix orcs and gnolls if they aren't that numerous.
Players spending too much time twittering or texting at the table? Ask yourself what you can do to draw them back into the game.
You can scale Dungeon Delves up to 4 levels above or below your party's level. That's nine adventures for nearly any level.
Give physical props to your players as a larping gateway drug.
Want more roleplaying in your combat-focused 4e game? Add it TO the combat! Banter between combatants, skill challenges, etc.
Use house rules you can enforce on the DM side of the screen so players aren't jerked around by your new strange rules.
watch your players to get a feel for their excitement and boredom. Figure out what they like and hate.
Want to speed up a game or miss the 3.5 swing? Add a ""double damage on critical"" house rule.
use the backgrounds in the Eberron PHB as story seeds for your campaign or backgrounds for your npcs.
trollhaunt spoiler Let players plan their defense of Moonstair. Make it their Helm's Deep.
sometimes you might tell a NPC's backstory even after their dead. Maybe thinking with a shield bash was a hasty choice.
Bax the Dragonborn in the Thunderspire adventure can make for a great redemption story arc. Use him but not for combat.
Screen grab and paste monster statblocks from the compendium into a horizontal Word document to build your own encounter sheet.
Dwarven Forge's strength is in 3D environments. Use platforms and multi-levels. Build upwards!
have your players tell you one ""secret"" that their PCs are keeping from the rest. Sometimes you need to add a little drama.
set up your battles and try a few rounds out solo to get a feel for the battlefield before the big game.
watch your players to get a feel for their excitement and boredom. Figure out what they like and hate.
Remember that monsters can use multiple minor powers in a round - even the same power - if it isn't a ""once per round"" ability.
soak notes in coffee to give them an aged look.
The PHB2 and Forgotten Realms ""backgrounds"" work well for NPCs and bad guys as well as PCs. Use them for a quick NPC seed.
Need some quick PCs for a one shot or dungeon delve? Use the DMG rules for NPC creation for limited PCs.
tweak your boss monster to challenge your party by replacing powers or adding alternate abilities. Check Open Grave, page 220.
Read up on future modules and Introduce major npcs from those modules early in your campaign.
Good tips for challenging your powergamer / tactical players: http://tr.im/nHK5
Mix your dungeon tiles and dwarven forge together. Place the flat tiles within dwarven forge rooms for added detail.
Use house rules you can enforce on the DM side of the screen so players aren't jerked around by your new strange rules.
don't be shy to talk in voices. Have fun with it. There us no ego in D&D (except those dwarves).
Keep careful track of your monsters' immediate abilities, especially death-based instants. Write a note where you track their HPs.
Don't be a slave to a creature's published hit points. If a battle is dragging, give the party a critical kill.
from reader Luke; maximize player and monster damage to speed up combat quite a bit with fewer rounds and fewer rolls.
from @chattyDM; run eight session ""Seasonal Campaigns"" to let your players try out new classes and races. http://tr.im/newu
use roleplaying and theatrics to lighten up dull moments in battles.
The Players Handbook 2 character backgrounds are a great way for non-roleplayers to get into their characters past.
Send feedback to mike@mikeshea.net.
