Of Dice & DMs

We have a guest! This week we invited Stephen into the studio (not just to respond to all our stories about him) to talk about runnings games for kids and how that might differ to games with adults. Stephen has been running a game at his school for quite a while now, so he has loads of advice and stories to tell us.

Well, we SAY 'romance', but we end up talking about more intimate relations. What role do romance and sex play in tabletop roleplaying games? Just where does consent fit into the spell 'charm person'? Do NPCs really have a chance when the bard decides to seduce them?

This week we answer a listener submitted question about the different ways people choose to gather information in D&D - and why is it so often torture? We also cover some other ways that the DM can seed information into an adventure so that the story keeps moving and the players don't get frustrated.

A Elbereth Gilthoniel! You voted on it, so this month's creature episode is on elves! We're going back to talk about Tolkien, but also the mythological roots of elvenkind and half-elves... OK, honestly, there's a lot of Tolkien, but lots of other stuff too.

Food, glorious food! Jeremy and Tory required snacks, so we discuss the role that food can play in the world's greatest roleplaying game. Is it just an excuse to have chips at the table, or can you create atmosphere and story elements from the descriptions of the delicacies your characters eat?

We swear to the gods, you'll like this episode! We discuss whether D&D games actually need deities, and the constant question of how to create a pantheon for your world. We also cover whether the gods play an active role in your world, or whether your characters have to take a more faith-based approach to their beliefs.

Whether some corners of the hobby like it or not, D&D has always been a game for everyone. In this week's episode, we talk about the representation of gender, not just in your fantasy world, but at the table as well.

You get an eye-ray, and you get an eye-ray, and YOU get an eye-ray! Everyone gets eye-rays! With Tory away, Ben and Jeremy deliver a monster episode of the most iconic of D&D creatures - the beholder! We go into their powers, what they want, and even how beholders reproduce (because everyone wanted to know that...)

Every good work of fiction has a strong theme - film, television, novels, plays, they all carry a solid conceit throughout. It might be as simple as "good will overcome evil" or as complex as "how far can someone justify doing bad things for a good cause?" This week we discuss how theme can play a role in your D&D game, and why it makes it a stronger game.

Choo-choo! All aboard the train because we're talking about railroading! Also, open road, sand box campaigns, and adventure modules. There are many different types of campaign, and everyone likes a different style. Whether you like to follow a pre-determined path like in a module or explore a wide open home brew world, we discover what the different types can bring to your game.