How to DM a Spelljammer Campaign

Dragon Talk #398/362!

I was a guest on Dragon Talk, the official D&D podcast! You can hear host Shelly Mazzanoble and I discuss tips on running Spelljammer on episode #398. (Note: the episode number seems to have changed to now be 362?)

DMing Spelljammer

As you can see from the many articles about Spelljammer on this site, I am a huge fan of the setting! On Dragon Talk I shared why this setting resonates for me, and how I find it provides a lot of flexibility for Dungeon Masters – we can finally use anything on our gaming shelf and toss it into a Spelljammer campaign.

I cover the areas I consider key for DMing a Spelljammer campaign, including how I approach ship combat. I can’t share much now, but I was recently involved in a project where I worked on ship combat rules. I am super excited for the project to be announced, and I think it will provide Spelljammer DMs with many fun options.

Here is a quick outline of what we covered:

• Choosing your genre
  • High fantasy, swashbuckling pulp, comedy, horror, etc.
• Traveling through space
  • Spelljamming basics, ship roles, tricks with air quality
• Spelljamers and Ship Combat
  • Siege weapons, clear encounter goals, encounter distance
• Exploration and Wildspace Encounters
  • STNG model, travel is fast, weaving travel and stops into plot
• A Home Base
  • Rock of Bral, astral sea, the ship as a base, patrons/organizations

Are you running Spelljammer? What tips would you share with other DMs?