Category: Design

Link to Icewind Dale adventure on Amazon
D&D, D&D 5E, Design

Who is the Standard Dungeons & Dragons Adventurer?

Adventurers in Dungeons & Dragons come in all shapes and sizes and can have any number of backgrounds. However, for the purposes of many published adventures, designers tend to assume a certain type of adventurer. That type is the mercenary adventurer. That is, an individual who makes their living by selling their services. And their services are their strong sword arm or their ability with … Continue reading Who is the Standard Dungeons & Dragons Adventurer?

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Curse of Strahd, D&D, D&D 5E, Design

On Running Published Adventures

I love published adventures. Investigating them has proved some of the most rewarding times I have spent with Dungeons & Dragons. However, I recognised that running published D&D adventures is not to everyone’s taste, or possibly even ability. There are distinct differences between running an adventure written by someone else and one you design, and you should choose the path you enjoy more! However, even … Continue reading On Running Published Adventures

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D&D, D&D 5E, Design

Monsters and World-Building

Monsters do not need innovative mechanics to be interesting. The difference in the statistics between kobolds, goblins, orcs, hobgoblins, gnolls, bugbears and ogres in original D&D (and AD&D) is minimal. What makes them different? Culture, organisation, and story. This isn’t to say that monsters shouldn’t have interesting mechanics, but they’re not the only consideration. With any monster, when I am designing a scenario, I would like … Continue reading Monsters and World-Building

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Board Games, D&D, D&D 5E, Design

Player Elimination in Board Games and TTRPGs

If you have an ability in a game that has a chance of eliminating you from the game if you use it, what does that then do to the game? What does it do to the enjoyment of the other participants?  Older board games were very fond of player elimination – where you could stop playing the game when your position was overrun. And these … Continue reading Player Elimination in Board Games and TTRPGs

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D&D 5E, Design, Play Advice

Using Deities in a Dungeons & Dragons campaign

The original presentation of deities in Dungeons & Dragons is unusual. It was a short description of their combat abilities and not much more. And the book instructed you not to use them in combat, which was odd. Justin Alexander recently talked a little about it in his blog, The Alexandrian. Later games, especially Runequest, paid a lot more attention to the deities and their … Continue reading Using Deities in a Dungeons & Dragons campaign

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D&D 5E, Design, Play Advice

Skill and Ability Checks: Can You Reroll?

“Next time for sure!” One of the aspects of the Dungeons & Dragons rules that is somewhat missing is a discussion of whether or not you can reroll an ability (skill) check. This is something that various editions of D&D have treated differently. In first edition, the rule was generally no. In third edition, it was generally yes – with a few exceptions. So, which … Continue reading Skill and Ability Checks: Can You Reroll?

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D&D, D&D 5E, Descent into Avernus, Design

Thoughts on Designing Adventures for Publication

I am fascinated by the process of designing adventures to be published and used by others. There are many, many factors to consider. I came up with three – which I posted on Twitter – then M.T. Black offered some more. The three I posted: You want to present a path through the adventure You want enough detail so the players can go beyond that … Continue reading Thoughts on Designing Adventures for Publication

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Link to Icewind Dale adventure on Amazon
D&D, D&D 5E, Design, Play Advice, Rime of the Frostmaiden

The Rime with No Name

As a follow-up to my post about the Plotless Campaign, consider running the first chapter of Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden in such a manner. In this structure, the characters are wandering adventurers, start each adventure walking into a new town, quickly discovering it has a problem, and solving it. What is different about this from the standard Rime? You ignore the rationale about … Continue reading The Rime with No Name

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D&D, D&D 5E, Design, Play Advice

Running a D&D Campaign without a Plot

There is a style of Dungeons & Dragons campaign that I quite enjoy. It is one that does not use a campaign-long plot but instead provides a picaresque experience, with the adventurers travelling from place to place and dealing with various situations as they encounter them. It is one that is very easy to construct, especially for new DMs. The characters may be heroic, or … Continue reading Running a D&D Campaign without a Plot

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