DM Advice Episodes

Anything which will help DMs in the macro and micro of managing games. Including organising your notes, the minutia of balancing encounters on the fly, and managing problematic players.
May 7, 2021

Disaster

This episode I am joined by Heath, a.k.a Dag of Dahgda's Cauldron , and we discuss the surprisingly vast topic of "Disaster". With we start with how, much like conflict , it's an essential part of any adventure whether it's s...
April 30, 2021

Lore

Welcome to the season 2 opener! We are flying out of the gate with a super interesting discussion all about lore with Steven from The Travel Log . This episode will be useful for both DMs and players looking to flesh out thei...
April 9, 2021

Health

CW: In-game, player-character death, injury, harm, sexual identity, allusions to suicide and euthanasia. Player mental health & disorders and physical exhaustion. For this season finale, I'm joined by Cal a.k.a The Baron to t...
April 2, 2021

Fudging

This episode is (unfortunately?) not about the delicious sugary treat, but instead the DM tool of "fudging dice"; changing the outcome of a roll behind the screen. For this discussion, I'm joined by Bart Wynants, a.k.a @crito...
March 26, 2021

Agency

For this insightful episode I am joined by Scott, a.k.a @optionalrule , and we talk about the incredibly important topic of agency. It's a term that gets bandied around a lot, carrying with it an awful lot of weight. In this ...
March 12, 2021

Encounters

This meaty episode is all about encounters within your TTRPG game. I'm joined by @XhangoGames and somehow we manage to squeeze an awful lot into a little over an hour! We sandwich mechanical examples for spicing up encounters...
Guest: XhangoGames
Feb. 26, 2021

Improvisation

This episode I'm joined by Daniel, a.k.a @eos_rakonto , and we talk about the fine art of improvisation. Starting with the frankly embarrassing realisation on my part that almost everything that happens in a given game is imp...
Guest: Eos Rakonto
Feb. 19, 2021

Space

A bumper landmark episode, as for the first time I'm joined by two guests! Two-thirds of Tabletop Journeys , Josh and Lewanika, join me to talk all about space within D&D 5e. They share their extensive experience of role play...
Feb. 12, 2021

Archetypes

For this archetypical chat, I'm joined by Adam Gumbert, a.k.a AdamGumby , where we go through a bunch of different stereotypes and styles of play. Even though some archetypes have negative connotations, when managed and viewe...
Feb. 5, 2021

Utilities

In this useful episode I'm joined by Phill, a.k.a Blue Munchkinite , to discuss all the different utilities DMs and players use to help them play and generally increase the quality of their experience. Everything from maps, m...
Jan. 29, 2021

Enhancements

This episode I am joined by the creator of the My Sound Delve mobile app, Christian Borchert, and we talk about all the tricks, tools, and talents used to enhance your gameplay experience. Although we have different approache...
Jan. 22, 2021

Progression

I'm joined once again by my DM confidant and close friend of 20 years, Jamie Mitchell, where we talk all about "Progression". We spend a lot of time talking about the age-old discussion of milestone versus XP. Despite the pro...
Guest: Jamie Mitchel
Dec. 25, 2020

Structure

The first European episode! Despite the relatively benign sounding topic of "Structure", Ian ( @thefoolishswamidm ) and I discuss many thoughtful and deep topics, such as empathy, care, and responsibility. In this episode you...
Dec. 18, 2020

Macro

This episode I talk about all the big things with Nathan Briggs, my DM from our Dungeons, Dice, and Dudes actual-play podcast. We discuss how Dungeons & Dragons has changed over the years, from "nerds in the basement" to prim...
Dec. 11, 2020

Emotion

Another international episode! I found my "Dungeon Master Friend" in Manny, a.k.a Growed Up Geek , who's enthusiasm is infectious. We cover the gamut from DM loneliness and anxiety, all the way up to eliciting those emotional...
Dec. 4, 2020

Mistakes

"A crazy babble of death and anteaters." My good friend of 20 years, Jamie Mitchell, joins me to talk about all the mistakes we've made on our parallel journey to DM-hood. How these mistakes have shaped us and the mitigation ...
Guest: Jamie Mitchel
Nov. 20, 2020

Roles

The second international episode! I'm joined by Howie, a.k.a the Blue Collar DM , and hooo boy do we hit some big topics. Everything from representing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, to how to role play earnestly, and stayi...
Oct. 24, 2020

Conflict

Rob McPerhson and I discuss how "conflict" is an intrinsic part of the D&D experience; constructive and destructive conflict between PCs, but also how every PC requires an internalised conflict pushing them to adventure. We c...
Guest: Rob McPherson