scenario where their plans and the scenario for the PCs interact. 6/6 #DnD #TTRPG

...magical rule. There's a pretty basic plan with some genericness to it so anyone could use it but you just drop in scenarios for the PCs to engage in and let them hear about the aftermath of the villains plans until they eventually do something about it or you create a... 5/6 #DnD #TTRPG

...of undead. Get what Kevin wants from the Temple Obscurous. Use the army to secure the city of MacGuffin and then use the relic the bandits stole for you to gain vast magical powers from the altar of magic powers and establish your empire of... 4/6 #DnD #TTRPG

...church. Make a deal with the Hag in the swamp to provide her access to human meals in exchange for her predictive powers on retainer. Get the Minotaur family in the maze to be your bodyguards. Find out what kevin the necromancer wants so you can trade that for an army... 3/6 #DnD #TTRPG

...with their actions. How? Give them plans. Write down what they're going to try and do over the course of time. As the PCs are doing things refer to your list. It can be as simple as: Beat up the local bandit lead and take over the bandits. Send them to steal a relic from a... 2/6 #DnD #TTRPG

RPG Adventure Design Tip. Make villains active. They should move, react, and advance goals even when the party is elsewhere. That means you should give your villians goals. Make them have feelings and emotions. Have them impact the setting as much as the PCs do... 1/6 #DnD #TTRPG

RPG Adventure Design Tip. Give yourself options in scenes. Provide yourself a variety of ways to resolve conflict in scenes so you can vary your pacing. If a conflict can be resolved by action, conversation, or discovering information, then you can usher in a rhythm that fits your group. #DnD #TTRPG

RPG Adventure Design Tip. Use the environment to prompt play. Clues in the scenery can promote action and do some explaining for you. A bit of white powder in the smashed pot by the broken window can prompt a lot of game. Especially once they figure out it's some kind of drug. #DnD #TTRPG

#DnD #Podcast #TTRPG

Thac0 with Advantage 89. It’s the End of the Campaign as We Know It – Polygamerous Podcast Network Welcome to THAC0 . . . with Advantage! We’re two friends that have been playing D&D a long time. While we both love lots of other RPGs, D&D won’t let us ascend to become Immortals yet.

D&D and fantasy RPG campaigns all end eventually. So how do you make that ending matter? Let’s talk payoff, planning ahead, and handling it when the end comes sooner than expected.
polygamero.us/thac0-with-a...

...we as players and GMs can appreciate, even if we don’t agree with them. Like, hey, I get you want to bring your spouse back from the dead but maybe don’t fuel your resurrection spell by killing all the people in the village. They’re someone's loved ones too…probably. #DnD #TTRPG 2/2

Adventure Design Tip. I love Including moral complexity in games. When every side has reasons, choices become memorable. Villains don’t think they're the villain a lot of the time, and they like to justify their actions because of personal reasons. Often these are personal reasons... #DnD #TTRPG 1/2

RPG Adventure Design Tip. This is kind of an of course one but it’s important to think about regardless. Tie the scenario/adventure to one or more character backstories or things that have become important to them. Personal connections create investment. I know. Duh. #DnD #TTRPG

Public Access Analog Horror Mystery TTRPG From the creator of Brindlewood Bay and The Between, Public Access is a roleplaying game inspired by analog and found footage horror!

www.kickstarter.com/projects/gau...

For something completely different from fantasy gaming. A little analog horror for ya.

It’s a fuzzy murder bear with a stormtrooper blaster shouting in triumph.

We were having a pretty fun conversation in our discord about Ewoks. Everyone was pitching short 1-3 sentence all Ewok adventurers. Do you have any pitches you’d like to share for all Eowk adventures for any Star Wars game?

RPG Adventure Design Tip. Keep the scenarios objectives clear. Players engage more when they understand the goal, even if they don’t know how to reach it. Make a quest board, have a document they can reference, just give them something to help keep the Players on track. #DnD #TTRPG

...have some floating clues you can drop into the scenario or encounter that your PCs can act on. Then make sure those clues lead to action, especially if you're playing a game that is action forward. #DnD #TTRPG 5/5

...make sure there's one or two things for them to interact with. It doesn't have to be deadly or relevant , it can be, but it can also just be something quirky or historical or weird. For investigation... #DnD #TTRPG 4/5

...understand what the NPCs in the scene want and what they're willing to do, and this is important, not do to get what they want. See combat if you think it'll devolve into one. For exploration... #DnD #TTRPG 3/5

...just have some stat blocks around and possibly a map of your location or the ability to sketch up a space with a couple of interesting or interactable pieces of terrain. For negotiation... #DnD #TTRPG 2/5

RPG Adventure Design Tip. Leave your encounters and scenarios open to various solutions. If you prefer to prep around some possibilities then combat, negotiation, exploration and investigation are some ways to let players have options. For combat... #DnD #TTRPG 1/5

RPG Adventure Design Tip. Build from stakes. Ask, “What happens if the PCs fail?” or "What happens if the Antagonist succeeds?" The answer defines tension and urgency. It also helps create your scenario which just makes prep easier. #DnD #TTRPG

RPG Adventure Design Tip: Start with a situation, not a story. A conflict, mystery, or problem gives players freedom to shape the outcome. It's worth knowing what the problem is, where it'll go if not dealt with, and ways to involve the PCs. Leave everything else you can to the PCs. #DnD #TTRPG

Thac0 with Advantage 88. It’s A Major Reward – Polygamerous Podcast Network Welcome to THAC0 . . . with Advantage! We’re two friends that have been playing D&D a long time. While we both love lots of other RPGs, D&D told us we’re high enough level to build a podcast and…

Thac0 with Advantage 88. It’s A Major Reward
Not every great RPG reward is gold in a sack. This episode is about the rewards that live between treasure and story: titles, supernatural gifts, followers, new responsibilities, and yes, maybe even a brand new puppy.
polygamero.us/thac0-with-a...

...things we talked about and agreed upon? Is everyone enjoying what we're doing. If you find some friction here then make some choices about how you would shift things to get your tone back to where you want it.
#DnD #TTRPG 3/3

...talk to the group and see if a tone change is what everyone wants. Now how do you reflect? After a session is over and your all alone ask yourself some questions. Did that feel right? If it didn't what about it felt wrong? Did the players respond in a manner that reflected the...
#DnD #TTRPG ⅔

RPG Tip: GM Improvement Tip. Reflect on your tone management. A serious campaign can have humor, but too much can undercut tension. Going to dark when you were looking for something a little more whimsical. It happens. Find your balance or...
#DnD #TTRPG ⅓

RPG Tip: GM Improvement Tip. Learn to read silence. This is a really good one that a lot of us miss. Pauses often mean players are thinking, don’t rush to fill them. That patience will help create drama. #DnD #TTRPG

RPG Tip: GM Improvement Tip. Build a personal GM toolkit. Keep reusable NPCs, locations, and random tables ready for when inspiration runs low. How you keep these things is whatever works best for you. Google Docs, Post It Notes, a custom pip boy you made for your wrist. Whatever works. #DnD #TTRPG

...hit them with a resolution or a question for next time to keep them coming back. There are tons of examples of this out there but they're really specific to your group and what they care about so tailor this simple rhythmic idea to what you all enjoy. 3/3 #ttrpg #dnd