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Talking with Ed Greenwood and Jeff Grubb

July 9, 2021 by newbiedm

I had the opportunity to speak with legendary D&D authors Ed Greenwood and Jeff Grubb on the debut episode of my new webshow, The NewbieDM Show. It was an interview I’ve wanted to do for a long time, as I am a big fan of their work. Jeff Grubb is one of those D&D designers […]

My issue with social conflicts in 5e D&D

June 3, 2021 by newbiedm

I was musing on twitter about social conflicts in 5e, and how I think there’s a big disconnect with how they intersect with NPCs and Monsters, and thought I’d bring it to the blog to expand on it. I love twitter, but it’s not great for lengthy musins like this one… In 5e, social encounters […]

Tracking time in the dungeon

May 24, 2021 by newbiedm

One of the things that still gives me a little bit of difficulty when I’m DMing is tracking time in the game’s fiction when the characters are in exploration mode. Combat is simple, the 6 second rounds are codified, and we know that 10 rounds is a minute in the game world, 5 rounds is […]

5e Spell templates for VTT

October 15, 2020 by newbiedm

Due to the COVID pandemic, all my gaming has moved online, and while that in it of itself is not a bad thing, it has generally changed my prep and the way I run games, even if it has allowed for greater consistency in our scheduling. One of the things I find the most challenging […]

A look at the roll20 version of Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

September 21, 2019 by newbiedm

The folks at roll20 were kind enough to provide a review copy of Descent into Avernus, so I streamed my look at it. If you’d like to support the work I do on my blog, podcasting, or twitter, perhaps you’d consider supporting me on Patreon. I’m only asking for $1, and I’m doing it for […]

So I launched a Patreon

March 25, 2019 by newbiedm

Launching a Patreon has been on my mind for a long time for a variety of reasons, and surprisingly enough, making money wasn’t really the first one. Sure, it’s a nice feeling to get paid for your work, and have people value what you do enough to reward you for it, but my motivations weren’t […]

Tomb of Annihilation on DnD Beyond

October 2, 2017 by newbiedm

I’ve already reviewed WOTC’s latest adventure offering, the epic and pulpy Tomb of Annihilation, but now I want to look at the DnD Beyond version. Please note, this is not a review of the DnD Beyond app in its entirety, as I haven’t really delved into it too much. WOTC describes DnD Beyond as: D&D […]

NewbieDM Review: Tomb of Annihilation

September 30, 2017 by newbiedm

I’m going to get it out of the way before I even begin the review… I love Tomb of Annihilation. I think it is the best big adventure Wizards of the Coast has put out in the last decade, and it sets a high bar for future 5e adventures and stories. It’s 5e firing on […]

Elder Brain for 5e

April 20, 2015 by newbiedm

Here’s my version of an Elder Brain… a mind flayer city’s god-like center of attention. I made it a Challenge 22 legendary creature, with lair and regional effects. It spawns a brain golem, a challenge 5 creature with mind blasting powers as well as slam attacks. This can make for a dangerously nasty encounter. Let […]

Setting my campaign in the 2e Forgotten Realms

September 14, 2014 by newbiedm

So I’m taking my 5e home game back in time a bit. After playing a session of Hoard of the Dragon Queen, I felt a bit dissatisfied with the adventure (mostly due to the way it played with my group), so I’m going to do a bit of a do over. I’m going to usse 5e’s […]