Dungeon Theory

Murder Hobos and Rules Lawyers and Metagamers oh my! Spend enough time around the table, and patterns begin to emerge. Different kinds of people play for different reasons, and Chris and Travis bring their signature brilliance to not only cataloguing the different sorts of players one meets, but wrestling with how to make a functional and fun game from such a strange assemblage of miscreants.

Being an adventurer is a dangerous job. Success is far from guaranteed, and failure often means a new character sheet and some time rolling ability scores. Game masters Chris and Travis go beyond the obvious (DON'T SPLIT THE PARTY) and attack the issue at the meta-level - maybe don't make your GM wish you were dead?

Different systems allow you to specialize your player character via different means. GMs Chris and Travis are joined by guest star Justin to discuss some of the methods and implications of various ways of further defining and refining one's character through archetypes and specialization.  

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One of the joys of having a player character survive for any length of time is the prospect of advancement and improvement for that character via whichever system your rule set utilizes. GMs Chris and Travis weigh in on various theories as to when and how such advancement should be awarded, and how the decisions you make in this area shape how your game is experienced, played, and ultimately enjoyed.

~ UPDATE ~

Thanks to all those who reached out and let us know about the wonky audio in the first half of the episode. Our executive assistant Trevor has been flogged.

A lot needs to get done for an adventuring party to succeed in its endeavors. GMs do what they can, but what can players do to make their team function like... well... a team? On this episode, Chris and Travis dive into the concept of party cartographers, note-takers, quartermasters, and more.

Guest expert Mike rejoins the Dungeon Theory team to discuss the planning and development of story-line arcs for your character. Listen in as the crew covers what makes for a compelling backstory, how to fit your backstory to the campaign, how to gauge game master engagement with player backstories, and more. 

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What do you want out of your character over the course of a given campaign? What do you want to be able to do? One of the central features of most TTRPGs is the progression in experience and power of your character as play continues, but do you have a goal in mind? Chris and Travis are joined by Josh as they look at planning character progression through the lenses of SMART goals and backwards planning, to see how they can be used to up your game.

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Chris and Travis are joined at Dungeon Theory Studios by guest co-star  Mike, to explore the development of character backstories, how to avoid  common pitfalls, and how to get the most value in your game from them.

Chris and Travis are joined at Dungeon Theory Studios by guest co-star Mike, to explore the development of character backstories, how to avoid common pitfalls, and how to get the most value in your game from them.

Statistically speaking, most likely you and your players are humans. But what about your characters? Does your character race matter in the game beyond a few modifiers or abilities? Chris and Travis present a case for an assumed default of humanity, and how this can ultimately lead to better games no matter what character race you select.

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