Handling imposter syndrome

It’s easy to feel a bit disappointed with how a session went. We feel anxious when we forget to mention something or stumble over words or have to pause to check notes. We plan these grand combat or roleplay encounters only for them to be 60% as cool as we thought they would be. 

It happens. Imposter syndrome is normal, no matter how experienced we may be.

Even so, I would like to offer some tips on dealing with imposter syndrome:

• Remember that your players don’t know if something turns out differently than you expected. Unused materials can always be repurposed for later.
• It’s easy to judge a session based on your expectations, but the results are what matters. Your players probably still had a great time and had a lot of fun moments, Even if a session wasn’t perfect, it can still be pretty good.
• If there are areas you felt were lacking, the good news is you can continue to practice and focus on those areas (growth mindset!)
• Gather feedback from your players on how things went. It’s possible you’ve been stressing about things your players don’t mind at all.
• Remember that DMing is a challenging and complex beast. Be gracious to yourself!

Let me know what other ways you combat imposter syndrome!

Visual clues for traps

Recently I've started to incorporate a visual component to the traps I include in dungeons. Previously the trap would only exist in my notes and the PCs would have to make a perception check or ask about traps to notice it.

Visual trap indicators can take on several forms depending on what the trap is:

• Symbols, rules, or other markings on the floor
• A thin tripwire similar in color to the floor
• A slight outline or discoloration of certain tiles to indicate a pressure plate

Including such indicators has several advantages:

• Checking for traps becomes more engaging. Rolling dice is fun, but so is bypassing a challenge with clever / careful play.
• Players pay more attention to the map as they are looking for traps
• Traps feel less punishing as even the players had a fair shake at noticing them.
• They’re super easy to add to any VTT map!

Split image puzzles

I’m a big fan of (good) puzzles in TTRPGs, so I’m always trying to come up with interesting puzzles for my players. Particularly, it can be challenging to create puzzles that work well with VTTs and online play. In this newsletter I’ll share one I made recently. 

This puzzle allows the players to gain some information in a way that feels earned. This information might be a letter, treasure map, clue, piece of lore, or anything else you can think of.

1. Type the information in a word processor and take a screenshot (feel free to use fancy backgrounds / fonts for a more fantasy feel). If the information is already an image (such as a map), you don't need to do anything else.
2. Use a free image splitter tool (such as this one) to split the image in a 4x4 grid (or however many pieces you'd like).
3. Place the images in your VTT, scatter them about randomly, change the orientations, and make sure your players can move the pieces around.
4. Reveal the puzzle at the appropriate time and watch them go!

Final result: 

Let me know what other creative puzzle ideas you've come up with.

Rules for downtime activities

In one of his Running the Game videos, Matt Colville describes allowing his players to use downtime between sessions to pursue various goals their character may have. Matt would run one-on-one sessions where his players would work towards these goals. 

Although I found this idea to be very compelling, I was never able to put it into practice. Planning these downtime sessions seemed like an enormous amount of work with only one player getting to enjoy the content. More importantly, I got the sense that my players didn’t know what would be viable goals to pursue. It was too open ended.

Later on, I came across a reddit post that inspired me to create my own rules for downtime activities. In short, players choose one thing to focus on, and they make the appropriate roll to determine how successful they are. The DM then describes the result, sometimes after taking some time to prep or think about what outcome makes sense.

I’ve noticed several benefits from implementing this system:

• The list of potential downtime activities helps players (especially newer ones) decide what they want to do. Most players engaged with the system and had fun during downtime.
• You can see what’s important to your players by what they spend downtime doing. 
• At the start of each session, each player can have a cool moment describing what their character did since the last session.

List of potential downtime activities (not an exhaustive list):

Can do for free:

• Short / long rest
• Sell any non-magical weapons / armor / equipment (for half the price listed in PHB)
• Purchase any non-magical weapons / armor / equipment
• Check the town notice board
• Check calendar for upcoming events

Full downtime activities:

• Ask around for side quests (persuasion)
• Find a job (investigation / persuasion)
• Earn money performing (performance)
• Listen / ask around for rumors (perception / persuasion)
• Ask around for information on something or someone (persuasion)
• Investigate a question / plot thread (investigation)
• Look around for hidden passages / areas (investigation)
• Find a contact for something (persuasion)
• Research something (history / investigation)
• Look for specific magic / rare items for sale (investigation)
• Find buyer for magic items / valuables (investigation / persuasion)
• Rob / pickpocket (slight of hand / intimidation)
• Repair / craft items (requires specific tools & components) 

Let me know what downtime systems you've implemented and what's worked for you!

Keeping things fresh

Variety is the spice of life, and Dnd is no exception. There are many themes or tropes that our sessions can take on, such as:

• Combat heavy / hack-n-slash
• Dungeon delving
• Political intrigue
• Mystery
• Betrayals
• Dilema (Which lesser of the two evils will the party choose? Or will they forgo a reward to do the right thing?)
• Negotiation / roleplay
• Puzzles
• Travel

The list is endless. The point, however, is that as GMs, we may sometimes default to running the type of sessions we are most comfortable with. But over time, this can cause our game becomes less exciting.

Creating exotic locations

If you have a location you would like to feel unique or exotic, one thing you can do is use an entirely different monster book to populate the monsters and animals. This is especially important if you have experienced players who are familiar with the Monster Manual (and even other WOTC monster books such as Volo’s Guide or Tome of Foes). 

This works great for isolated islands, portals to other worlds / continents, etc. 

Some example monster books you can use: 

• Tome of Beasts by Kobold Press
• Monstrous Menagerie from Level Up Advanced 5e
• Monster Manual Expanded

Let me know if you have any other favorite 3rd party monster books!

My favorite DMing podcasts, blogs, etc.

Although we all have our favorite DMs and content creators, it’s good to have a wide range of perspectives providing us with tips and advice. After all, no one person alone can be an expert on every aspect of TTRPGs. 

Here are a list of some of my favorite blogs, podcasts, youtube channels, etc.

• Running the Game series by Matt Colville: I’ve mentioned this before but it bears repeating. Over 100 topics addressed for new & experienced DMs.
• Lazy DnD Talk Show by Sly Flourish: great podcast discussing DM tips, new happenings in the TTRPG industry, kickstarter & product spotlights, Q&A, etc. Also is very experienced in monster design & balance and helps review newly released monsters.
• The Alexandrian by Justin Alexander: A long time blog with lots of insightful articles, particularly about adventure & dungeon design.
• M.T. Black newsletter: a weekly list of 10 interesting resources or articles. He always find very insightful and thought-provoking content to share.
• Thinking Critically: a biweekly podcast with a different topic each episode. The host brings on a different guest for each one (including yours truly once), so no matter the topic, you will always receive knowledgeable advice.

Let me know what your favorite sources are!

You shouldn’t know everything that will happen

Many DMs talk about “creating the story along with their players.” While this idea sounds nice, it’s rather abstract and difficult to know how to put into practice. 

Here’s a simple way you can think about this: make sure there are “questions” within each session you do not know the answer to beforehand. In other words, you want to make sure the party has interesting and meaningful decisions to make.

For example:

• Will the players decide to free a demon who has been trapped in a dungeon for hundreds of years?
• Will the players catch up to the spy who is running to warn their guild?
• Will the players have enough time to stop the cultists from completing their ritual?
• Which faction (if any) will the party side with in the upcoming conflict?

In each case, you’ll want to give both sides a fighting chance. Neither outcome should derail the campaign (you’ll notice that none of the examples above are life or death situations). For instance, if the players fail to chase down a spy, they may be able to warn their guild of the party, ensuring they are not surprised going into combat. 

Players want their choices have a genuine effect on the story. The victories the players achieve are meaningful because there was a legitimate chance of failure. 

As a DM, it also help keeps you excited to run the game. It’s super fun to create an interesting choice and wonder what the players will do. This way you’re not just shepherding the players though a predetermined story. The players are helping to form the story with you. If you already know what’s going to happen, what’s the point of playing?

Ideally, we want to give the players as many meaningful choices as possible. But at a minimum, try to make sure each session has at least one key question you do not know the answer to.

Easy evocative locations

When you’re worldbuilding, a simple way to create evocative locations is to think about the inhabitants of the area. For example: the centaur forest, the spider caves, the scorpion desert, etc. 

Not only does this paint a picture for your players, it also helps you plan which creatures / monsters the party may encounter.

Let me know if you have other ideas on how to make locations exciting and memorable.

Trap alternatives: challenges!

Traps and setbacks serve an important role in the pacing and layout of dungeons. After all, if everything is too easy, the game will feel boring and rewards won’t feel as special.

However, I’d like to suggest you use challenges in place of many of your traps. Example challenges could include:

• A path that becomes very narrow along a high ledge. Characters must succeed on an athletics check to pass safely. If they fail, they fall down, taking some bludgeoning damage.
• A ladder that has crumbled away, making it treacherous to climb up a rock face.
• An old, collapsed bridge that forces the players to jump from support beam to support beam.

These sorts of environmental / physical challenges are similar to traps in a number of ways:

• Both involve various skill checks to safely navigate the danger.
• On a failed check, a character suffers some minor damage or other setback.

However, there are a few key differences that I believe make challenges more engaging for players:

• Challenges are not hidden or disguised the way traps are. Constantly checking for traps is time-consuming and tedious.
• Challenges are less abstract, so it’s easier for players to think of creative workarounds.
• Players choose to engage with challenges while traps engage with them. When players made the decision themselves to enter into a dangerous situation, they don't feel as bad if things don’t go well.

There still may be situations when traps make more sense, especially if your players are in an enemy’s lair. However, if you’re just trying to challenge your players in general, I would recommend including these types of environmental challenges.

Filtering new players online

 We all want to play Dnd, but finding consistent and invested players can be difficult, especially online.

In general, keep in mind:

• Someone can be a great person and a great player, but if they don’t have the time or commitment necessary for Dnd, it’s not going to work out.
• People have different playstyles. The key is finding the right players for your game. You can’t be afraid of saying “no” if you feel like someone isn’t the right fit.
• There are tons of players who want to play. It may take time, but everyone can find the right players for their game.

My go-to place for finding players is the Looking for Game subreddit (r/LFG). There are also various Discord servers such as Never Forever DM. Let me know if there are other places you’ve had success finding a group!

When looking for players, I’ve found it’s better to make my own post as opposed to responding to other people’s posts. With your own post, you can describe exactly what you’re looking for. This helps to narrow down the responses a bit.

In my post on r/LFG, I will describe:

• My play style (combat vs. role play balance, how deadly the game is, etc.)
• Type of game (homebrew vs. published adventure)
• Format of game (VTT, play by post, theater of the mind, etc.)
• The type of players I’m looking for (invested, team players)
• Character info (starting level, which source books / homebrew are allowed, etc.)
• What times I’m available

At the end of my post, I’ll ask them to message me if they feel they’d be a good fit. I’ve tried using a Google form to collect responses, but I’ve found that a ton more people will fill out a form vs. actually messaging you. It’s also easier to start a natural conversation when they’ve already messaged you.

Once some interested people have messaged me, this is my process:

1. Chat with them a bit to make sure they’re not a huge jerk.
2. Ask them to put together a character for a one-shot. They will all say they’ll do it, but this will filter out a lot of people (about half) who aren’t super invested. I never remind someone to turn in a character sheet.
3. For those that do turn in a character sheet, I’ll divide them into groups based on their availability and schedule some one-shots. These one-shots are the best way to truly gauge someone’s playstyle and if they seem like a good fit for your game. If you have multiple one-shot groups, you can always re-use the same one-shot if you want to save time on your prep.
4. Hopefully you’ve found some players you’re excited to run for. If you have enough players, get a campaign going! Otherwise make another post and keep looking for more.

If the campaign fizzles out, hopefully there are a few players you’d like to invite back to try again. Those are the players you want to cherish.

Let me know what has worked for you!

The best way to improve is to practice

Matt Colville has a great Running the Game series on Youtube where he talks about various DMing concepts. During these videos and other live streams, he’s talked about how running DnD really helps him come up with video ideas for the series.

Even people like him who have been DMing for decades still learn new things and gain new insights. It’s all part of the process. Every time I DM, I have one or two (or five) new insights about how I can run a better game.

There’s endless advice in the form of online articles, youtube channels, books, podcasts, reddit posts, etc. But nothing can beat actually sitting down and running the game yourself. When you’re learning a new instrument or a new sport, watching others and reading advice isn’t enough. You have to actually practice to get better. It’s the same way with Dnd.

Make mistakes, think about how you can improve, gather feedback from your players, be aware of your weaknesses and work to address them. That's how we grow.

If you’re looking to practice or try out DMing, there are countless players who would love a chance to play, even if it’s just a one-shot. So don’t be afraid to jump into the deep end! You’ll be much better for it.

Reusing locations

In many video games, the protagonist will return to a certain location multiple times. They usually return after acquiring new keys or abilities to unlock additional areas. Alternatively, the party may hear about a new development that prompts them to return.

In TTRPGs, we can do something similar. Here are some ideas on reusing locations:

• After a dungeon was cleared out, a Goblin tribe has moved into the area.
• A map is discovered showing additional passages not noticed before.
• The party finds a key to unlock a door they couldn’t get past before.

Reusing locations has several advantages: 

• Your prep is significantly reduced, as you can reuse the same map with slight modifications each time. Some map makers even create multiple variations of the same map.
• Since the players have been there before, they will feel more confident exploring the area.
• By showing how an area has changed over time, the world feels more real and dynamic. 
• The party is reminded of the awesome time they had visiting the location previously.

If you’re going to reuse locations, here are some additional tips:

• Make sure to change some things so that the party still has to be careful. New traps may have been laid and new creatures have moved in since the party was last there.
• Don’t overuse this technique. Most sessions should still feature new locations, and you probably shouldn’t reuse a location more than once or twice.

Let me know if you’ve ever reused locations and how it went!

GTA-style heists

In Grand Theft Auto V, the protagonists have several heists they complete over the course of the game. The heist model used in the game can easily be adapted for TTRPGs to provide some much-needed guidance and structure for how to run heists. 

Broadly speaking, there are several components a heist can have:

• There is a specific item or target the group is after.
• There is a specific location the target is kept.
• The building has various guards / traps / challenges the group must overcome (similar to a typical dungeon)
• There are several intermediate steps the group must complete before the actual heist (stealing uniforms / disguises, finding blueprints of the building, etc). 
• There are allies / accomplices who can aid the group for a fee. They could help provide intelligence, muscle, etc. The more skilled they are, the higher their fee.
• The group must escape the area once they have secured the target (possibly an opportunity for a skill challenge or progress clock)

The first three components are the most important aspects of a heist. The last three are more optional and could be included depending on what makes sense for the particular situation.

Using this type of model, a full heist may take two sessions. The first session involves all the setup: completing intermediate steps, deciding on accomplices, making plans, etc. The second session has the actual heist and subsequent getaway. 

Are there other aspects you would include in a hest? Let me know what you think!