How to Challenge Players? Just Add Damage!
Why adding damage works better than other options for resolving the problems with encounter challenge… with some important considerations.
Why So Many DMs Have Trouble Challenging Players
Let’s look at the reasons why so many DMs struggle to challenge their players.
The Tarrasque and Halaster’s Maze of Madness: Encoded Designs Delivers
Hear the cheers and lamentations of your players with new adventures and sourcebooks from Encoded Designs!
The Lazy Dungeon Master
With so few hours in a day, becoming an efficient dungeon master is a key to great gaming. The review of Mike Shea’s new book, The Lazy Dungeon Master.
Classic Adventures: Converting Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh to 5E (or D&D Next)
Learn the steps to easily convert a classic adventure to 5E. The excellent Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh is used as an example.
Fury of the Lord of the Sea
A pulp adventure featuring a cult of dragonmen bringing a gargantuan kraken to destroy you? I was really happy to write this adventure for Kobold Press. Check it out!
The Lurker Fallacy
Lurkers in 4E are the basis for several aspects of D&D Next stealth… and that’s a huge problem for both DMs and players. Fortunately, history also shows us the solution!
Addendum: DnD Next Monster Design and Organized Play
Organized play aims to create fun adventures DMs can run easily. Comparing organized play’s monster formats across the editions is an excellent lens by which to study monster design and identify a path for the future.
The Threat of D&D Next Monster Design
Should D&D Next stat blocks be so plain? Let’s compare them to a similar 4E monster and identify how the format could improve.
Last Stand at Camp Starfall – May of the Dead
Every DM needs a campy fun horror adventure in their arsenal! This free adventure is perfect for October and combines horror, sci-fi, and fun monsters.
ODnD and the Challenge of Pleasing Everyone, Part 2
In OD&D a greatsword and a chair do the same damage, the best defense against trolls is a mule, and you heal 1 hit point every other day. And we still have fun.
Making Silt Horror Tentacles!
Turn a cheap rubber octopus into silt horror tentacles! This is a fun and easy do-it-yourself project.