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Embrace your digital future, D&D players!

July 31, 2009 by newbiedm

As I was working on my campaign with the new Monster Builder something hit me: I’m prepping for D&D, and I haven’t opened one book. This is significant. For years , the game has been played with a stack of books being carried around on a backpack from game to game, and soon, that era […]

Monster Builder to be released tomorrow July 30th!

July 29, 2009 by newbiedm

Yes, it’s true. The long awaited DDI Monster Builder releases tomorrow, Thursday July 30th, as a beta download for DDI subscribers. It’s expected to be up around 12:00pm eastern time. I can’t wait. Link

Beginner tips for effective narration

July 26, 2009 by newbiedm

For a newbie DM, the scene can be a daunting one: you’ve got your binder open in front of you, minis or counters ready to go, your players are sitting at the table, the battle map is laying there, and all eyes are focused on you. All that’s left is for you to begin narrating. […]

Don’t make the PC’s ride your newbie railroad!

July 25, 2009 by newbiedm

One of the pitfalls I discovered in my early days as a DM, was the tendency to “railroad” or lead my players on a track right into a storyline that I thought I needed them to follow. This, my beginner DM friends, is not a good thing. Players want to have free will. They do […]

A Quick look at the D&D 4e Spring 2010 releases

July 24, 2009 by newbiedm

I think I’m a couple days late on this, as it’s all over the boards in various forums, but I’m going to place them here for reference anyway. This comes courtesy of Herschel, the original poster on the EN forums where I lifted this from. (My comments will be in parenthesis): January: Underdark Sourcebook by […]

On 4th Ed.’s simplified skill list

July 21, 2009 by newbiedm

I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the argument coming out of some forums regarding the 4th Ed. skill list, in that mainly the list is too short to create fully fleshed out and distinct characters. I’m not buying it, as there are many ways to accomplish just that without needing too much […]

About DM’s, the future of the game, and what not…

July 20, 2009 by newbiedm

Okay. Before I begin this post, let me preface it by telling you what sparked it (although in all fairness I’m been mulling it over for a few weeks). I tried to organize a D&D Game Day for the upcoming date for DMG2 and I couldn’t make heads or tails out of the websites for […]

My DDI Experience

July 16, 2009 by newbiedm

Paying for extra content in order to play Dungeons and Dragons has been a very divisive topic in the D&D community. One camp sits on the side of “What? No way I’m paying for that content, I already bought the books!”, while another says “Anything to make my life easier is good for me! Sign […]

On map making…

July 12, 2009 by newbiedm

I’ve been thinking about maps, and more importantly, I’ve been thinking about how this blog is lacking a good article on map making. Players love maps, dm’s love maps, everyone loves a good map. I only have one problem, I have no skills when it comes to cartography. Sure, I can place a couple of […]

The DM binder, folder, or notebook

July 10, 2009 by newbiedm

In the world of scripted television, writers have what’s called a show bible. The bible serves as a reference for better understanding the characters, settings, and plot situations of that particular showe It also serves to teach new writers how the “universe” of that show works. Great, Mr. TV. What does that have to do […]