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Thinking Critically: A D&D Discussion episodes
- Emotions
Another international episode! I found my "Dungeon Master Friend" in Manny, a.k.a Growed Up Geek, who's enthusiasm is infectious. We cover the gamut from DM loneliness and anxiety, all the way up to eliciting those emotional responses from your players. A topic we've talked about plenty before, is the the positive feedback loop in D&D where the more you put in, the more you get out, and Manny puts it really well in this one. I can't effectively communicate it kind of nuance of human experience that we cover in this session. If you're feeling lonely or frustrated with your game, take a listen and find comfort in the fact you're not alone.
- 03:23 - D&D - an intrinsically human experience
- 07:40 - Player emotions
- 15:28 - TTRPGs versus VGRPGs
- 24:44 - Emotion in combat
- 30:40 - Why people play; scratching that itch
- 37:55 - No DM is an island - emotional responsibility
- 45:46 - Published adventures - emotional investment
- 53:39 - Subverting expectations to surprise and enthral
- 58:47 - Differences in player desires
Find Manny (@Growedupgeek) on:
- Twitter (https://twitter.com/Growedupgeek)
- Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/growedupgeek)
- Mysteries in the Dalelands on Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/wilyhobbit)
Find me on:
- Twitter @Danilo_DnD (https://twitter.com/Danilo_DnD)
- Instagram thinking_critically_dnd (https://www.instagram.com/thinking_critically_dnd/)
- Facebook ThinkingCriticallyDnD (https://www.facebook.com/ThinkingCriticallyDnD)
Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod
Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeodOutro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod1 hr 12 min - Mistakes
"A crazy babble of death and anteaters."
My good friend of 20 years, Jamie Mitchell, joins me to talk about all the mistakes we've made on our parallel journey to DM-hood. How these mistakes have shaped us and the mitigation strategies we take to ensure everyone continues to have fun. This one get's real crazy in the last 10 minutes so stick with it as you may not have heard such a segue from D&D into hentai before, and if anyone says I couldn't fight an anteater, they're lying!- 02:15 - A game of happy accidents
- 04:08 - Player mistakes - creation & mitigation
- 28:28 - DM mistakes - embarrassing coverups
- 69:12 - Narrative fluidity to change mistakes into opportunities
Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod
Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeodOutro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod1 hr 14 min - Happiness
This time I'm joined by Simon Eustace, and this episode is chock full of life lessons; you're going to come out the other side a better human being. Simon brings his four years of experience of playing unique D&D characters, and is my table-buddy in our Dungeons, Dice, and Dudes real play podcast (of which this episode is full of spoilers for). We talk about what makes each of us happy, and how to be happier both at and away from the gaming table.
Donate to Simon's Movember! https://uk.movember.com/mospace/14460089P.S. See if you can spot my sneaky audio addition in post!- 02:06 - Happiness: the goal of D&D
- 05:29 - Is player happiness intrinsically tied to their character?
- 16:13 - What makes us happy
- 23:18 - Unhappiness sandwich
- 35:45 - What makes a DM happy
- 46:00 - Player character happiness
- 55:52 - Non-player character happiness
- 63:02 - What to do if you're not happy
Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod
Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeodOutro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod1 hr 9 min - Roles
The second international episode! I'm joined by Howie, a.k.a the Blue Collar DM, and hooo boy do we hit some big topics. Everything from representing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, to how to role play earnestly, and staying honest to yourself.
- 03:47 - DM Facilitation of party role composition
- 12:56 - Class stereotypical roles
- 23:48 - How the role of the DM differs from the players
- 28:34 - Disassociation and 'my guy' syndrome
- 39:14 - Ebb & flow
- 43:01 - Presumptions of role playing classes
- 48:02 - The role of NPCs
- 62:30 - Sincere role playing and earnest characters
Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod
Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeodOutro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod1 hr 16 min - Design
A landmark episode! I'm joined by Karim, a.k.a FeverDreamStudios, and we get real deep into the design of D&D. How it's designed, how to design for it, and ways that PCs and DMs can design around and with each other. Too many nuggets of wisdom to list here, if I do say so myself!
- 01:49 - The design of Fifth Edition
- 08:26 - How PHB design affect player expectations
- 16:59 - How to start homebrewing
- 22:18 - Magic in a homebrew setting
- 31:35 - Designing adventures
- 39:05 - Integrating PC backstories
- 43:12 - Designing antagonists
- 52:30 - Avatar and alignments
- 57:00 - Designing social encounters
Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod
Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeodOutro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod1 hr 5 min - Experience
In this first of a two-parter, Ian Langton and I discuss how the "experience" of Dungeons & Dragons has shifted, not only since earlier editions, but also as the players mature. Ways to get "good" experience, and how differing levels of play experience can dramatically impact the moment-to-moment gameplay.
- 03:04 - What makes a fun experience
- 06:44 - How the DM experience has changed
- 15:25 - Difficulties of DM'ing
- 25:33 - How DM experience shapes player experience
- 33:45 - Good ways to get more experience
- 52:54 - The DM "experience"
- 59:55 - Anecdotal evidence
Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod
Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeodOutro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeodReference to 'The Elfish Gene: Dungeons, Dragons and Growing Up Strange' by Mark Barrowcliffe1 hr 12 min - Ability
Jack Wain and I discuss what "ability" means within the 5e context. We take a look at what makes an effective player and how those skills are transferable to being a successful DM. We discuss ability skills and how some, such as the oft derided Animal Handling, get a bad rap through no fault of their own. This episode's Big Question is ability modifiers: big box or small box?
- 00:01:41 - How to determine player ability
- 00:08:58 - Signifiers of a good DM
- 00:20:40 - Ability scores
- 00:40:59 - Dissonance between player and character ability
- 00:50:36 - Improvisation in published adventures
- 00:55:26 - Impact of score simplification over earlier editions
- 01:00:30 - Big box or little box?
Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod
Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeodOutro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeodReference to The Monsters Know What They're Doing by Keith Ammann.1 hr 5 min - Conflict
Rob McPerhson and I discuss how "conflict" is an intrinsic part of the D&D experience; constructive and destructive conflict between PCs, but also how every PC requires an internalised conflict pushing them to adventure. We cover a few tools for resolving conflict both at the table and away from it, and how "my guy" syndrome can quickly and easily ruin an otherwise good game.
Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod
Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod
Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod
1 hr 6 min - Trailer
Podcast trailer for Thinking Critically: A D&D Discussion.
A discussion show with different guests each episode. We take a single concept or idea and discuss what that means within the D&D framework to help you get the most out your sessions, whatever side of the screen you sit on. Consider it an NPR-style, bitesize mix of thought-provoking analysis and humorous anecdotes!
Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod
Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod2 min
About Thinking Critically: A D&D Discussion
From the publisher's feed
A discussion show with different guests each episode. We take a single concept or idea and discuss what that means within the D&D framework to help you get the most out your sessions, whatever side of the screen you sit on. Consider it an NPR-style, variety bucket of thought-provoking analysis and humorous anecdotes!
All music by Kevin MacLeod.
Art by Béi: https://www.beiworkshop.com/