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Diving Deep into Theme, Fate, and Storytelling with Jay Foster from Swole Initiative
What does it really mean to be a strong Dungeon Master? Is it about rules mastery, epic voices, or maybe... sonic attacks and diamond scales?
In this episode of How to Be a Better DM, returning guest Jay Foster from Swole Initiative joins Justin Lewis for a monster of a conversation—literally. First, Jay becomes the first victim of our brand-new segment, “What’s Your Monster?” powered by our friends at WorldSmith. (Spoiler: It’s epic.)
Then we dig deep into the power of theme in D&D campaigns—what it is, how to discover it, and how to use it to elevate your game. Jay breaks down how theme connects your villains and player characters and why letting go of rigid story control actually leads to better storytelling.
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed trying to wrangle plotlines, player choices, and big ideas, this episode is your antidote.
🔥 Topics Covered:
- How to find the theme in your campaign (even if you didn’t plan one)
- How to use your villain’s motives to reinforce story
- Why players make better stories than you do
- When to take control as a DM—and when to step back
- The creative advantage of doing less prep
🎲 Plus: Jay shares improv tips, pacing tricks, and how to get players out of a “tavern loop.”
Whether you're a brand-new DM or an old-school storyteller, this episode will sharpen your storytelling tools—and maybe inspire your next legendary monster.
🧰 Sponsored by WorldSmith – Try their encounter generators and prep tools at https://session0studios.com/worldsmith-podcast!
🎧 Subscribe, leave a review, and share the show if you love what you hear!
Mentioned in this episode:
Brought to you by Session 0 Studios
Visit session0studios.com for more information.
Why Listen to Ads?
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Let’s be real—ads are the worst. If you’re anything like my wife, you’d rather quit a show entirely than sit through another ad.
So why suffer? Just skip them.
Join our Patreon at patreon.com/betterdungeonmaster and enjoy ad-free episodes with exclusive patron-only content—all for just $5 a month.
Look at you, all fancy with your uninterrupted listening experience.
So stop wasting time on ads (like this one). Go to patreon.com/betterdungeonmaster and upgrade your listening today!
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Give Us a Rating and Review
You obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.
Get The Swampberry Moonshine Jamboree For Free
Take a trip down to the bayou in The Swampberry Moonshine Jamboree.
We teamed up with Studio Fantasms to bring you a raucous one-shot adventure full of gatorfolk, catfishing, and a whole lotta moonshine.
We wrote the adventure, they designed the minis—it’s a sweet little bundle, and it’s totally free for the month of May.
Just head to https://session0studios.com/fantasms and sign up to grab it.
Don’t wait—May’s free, and once it’s gone, it’s gone.
View all episodes
By Justin Lewis
4.7
3535 ratings
What does it really mean to be a strong Dungeon Master? Is it about rules mastery, epic voices, or maybe... sonic attacks and diamond scales?
In this episode of How to Be a Better DM, returning guest Jay Foster from Swole Initiative joins Justin Lewis for a monster of a conversation—literally. First, Jay becomes the first victim of our brand-new segment, “What’s Your Monster?” powered by our friends at WorldSmith. (Spoiler: It’s epic.)
Then we dig deep into the power of theme in D&D campaigns—what it is, how to discover it, and how to use it to elevate your game. Jay breaks down how theme connects your villains and player characters and why letting go of rigid story control actually leads to better storytelling.
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed trying to wrangle plotlines, player choices, and big ideas, this episode is your antidote.
🔥 Topics Covered:
- How to find the theme in your campaign (even if you didn’t plan one)
- How to use your villain’s motives to reinforce story
- Why players make better stories than you do
- When to take control as a DM—and when to step back
- The creative advantage of doing less prep
🎲 Plus: Jay shares improv tips, pacing tricks, and how to get players out of a “tavern loop.”
Whether you're a brand-new DM or an old-school storyteller, this episode will sharpen your storytelling tools—and maybe inspire your next legendary monster.
🧰 Sponsored by WorldSmith – Try their encounter generators and prep tools at https://session0studios.com/worldsmith-podcast!
🎧 Subscribe, leave a review, and share the show if you love what you hear!
Mentioned in this episode:
Brought to you by Session 0 Studios
Visit session0studios.com for more information.
Why Listen to Ads?
Ugh, another ad break.
Let’s be real—ads are the worst. If you’re anything like my wife, you’d rather quit a show entirely than sit through another ad.
So why suffer? Just skip them.
Join our Patreon at patreon.com/betterdungeonmaster and enjoy ad-free episodes with exclusive patron-only content—all for just $5 a month.
Look at you, all fancy with your uninterrupted listening experience.
So stop wasting time on ads (like this one). Go to patreon.com/betterdungeonmaster and upgrade your listening today!
Patreon
Give Us a Rating and Review
You obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.
Get The Swampberry Moonshine Jamboree For Free
Take a trip down to the bayou in The Swampberry Moonshine Jamboree.
We teamed up with Studio Fantasms to bring you a raucous one-shot adventure full of gatorfolk, catfishing, and a whole lotta moonshine.
We wrote the adventure, they designed the minis—it’s a sweet little bundle, and it’s totally free for the month of May.
Just head to https://session0studios.com/fantasms and sign up to grab it.
Don’t wait—May’s free, and once it’s gone, it’s gone.
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