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Browsing All posts tagged under »dm«

How I’ve improved my DM’ing

March 17, 2010 by newbiedm

I thought I’d join in on the RPG Blog Carnival craze this month, as it deals with a subject near and dear to my game, dm’ing. Let me tell you about how I’ve improved my game since I started as a DM back when 4e was released in the summer of ’08. Avoid the Railroad […]

Wolfgang Baur joins me on the minicast

March 15, 2010 by newbiedm

Episode 2 of the NewbieDM minicast has been released. In this episode of the minicast, Wolfgang Baur, editor-in-chief of Kobold Quarterly helps answer a voice-mail from a listener asking for tips on how to encourage role-playing from players. You can find the minicast on the Itunes store by searching for newbiedm.com, or just subscribe directly […]

NewbieDM Review: Harrowing Halls 3d Dungeon Tiles

March 11, 2010 by newbiedm

The Harrowing Halls set in the Dungeon Tiles line fill a different niche from that of previous sets. The included 3d tiles aside, the 2d stuff is unlike any seen in previous Dungeon Tiles sets. If you’ve ever wanted to design the inside of an inn, or perhaps a mansion, then this is the set […]

Reader Voicemail: Building an Adventure

March 9, 2010 by newbiedm

The response to the voicemail has been pretty fantastic so far, and there’s probably no way that I’ll be able to take advantage of all the voicemails that have come in through a podcast alone, so I thought I’d create a new section for the site called “Reader Voicemail”, where I’ll write an answer, rather […]

Hating the sound of my voice…

March 1, 2010 by newbiedm

Just a quick post to plug two things… I had the chance to join in on a discussion of the “Underdark” book over at “The Tome Show” podcast with the show’s host, Jeff Greiner and two additional guests, Mark from Dice Monkey and Chris from Icosahedrophilia. Go check it out if you want to hear […]

Random treasure tables built from wish lists

January 31, 2010 by newbiedm

I’ve never really liked the idea of wish lists, and much less the idea of treasure being included in the Player’s Handbook. Unfortunately, that’s now the way it is, and as a DM you’ve got to adjust to the fact that your players have full access to a list of treasures that are available in […]

Before your first game, know your party, and know them well.

January 26, 2010 by newbiedm

As a newbie DM, it’s easy to get caught up in the things that seem important right before you start your campaign. Your maps, your minis, and your epic Tolkien-esque storyline all take up your undivided attention right before your first game. You are so caught up with what’s happening on your side of the […]

NewbieDM Review: The Plane Below: Secrets of the Elemental Chaos

January 14, 2010 by newbiedm

This is a tough book for me to review, mainly because I have never, ever, in my years of playing D&D have had any sort of interest in planar campaigns. My PC’s have never been to Sigil, City of Brass, nor the Happy Hunting Grounds. The DM’s I’ve played with never took us for a […]

The best 4e experience yet

January 5, 2010 by newbiedm

Fights take too long. There’s no roleplaying. It’s a videogame on paper. Blah blahblah blah blah blahblah. I had a wonderful time on Sunday night with 4e, and I feel like blogging about it. Why? Because that session reinforced the true strength and selling point of 4e: simplicity to run. I was asked to run […]

Improved Initiative: Running combats with the Combat Manager v1.6.0

December 15, 2009 by newbiedm

This is the second part of the D&D 4e Combat Manager v1.6.0 overview. In my last post I introduced the program and highlighted how simple it was to build your permanent PC/Creatures library to use in your encounters. Now, I’ll quickly go through an actual encounter so you can see how useful this program can […]