Thinking Critically: A D&D Discussion

This week I'm joined by friend and table mate Sam Henry to talk about our processes used for playing D&D, and how we use our professional backgrounds to improve our experiences.

Find Thinking Critically online: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk

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Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod

This week I'm joined by Cyle Durkee from Play-Nerd Allies and Foundation for Inclusivity in Gaming, to talk about how to have a quality gaming session. Running a TTRPG is more an art than it is science, and as such involves several layers of nuance and considerations. The tail end of the show is dedicated to how to have those sometimes awkward, game-impacting conversations, and how you should think carefully if considering using a TTRPG as therapy.

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Find Thinking Critically online: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk

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Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod

This episode I'm joined by the eponymous Aaron of Aaron's Games! Although not the first published, this episode was the first recorded without any preparation notes, in the spirit of the episode topic! Aaron and I discuss the inherent nature of TTRPGs, and how what some might consider "chaos", others would say is improvisation. Through character anecdotes, Aaron expertly describes how to introduce chaotic characters while bridging alignments and play styles.

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Find Thinking Critically online: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk

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Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod

Minor 'Lost Mine Of Phandelver' spoilers in this episode.

This week I host Derrick from the How Not To DM podcast (HN2DM), to once again talk about all the glorious mistakes we make! the most value from these kinds of discussions, however, is not what to avoid, but what can be learned. We are all beginners at some point, and so we share our experiences and how they can bring us all together in this hobby we love.

Find Derrick on: 

Find Thinking Critically online: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk

Original 'Mistakes' episode: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk/mistakes

And in Dungeons, Dice, and Dudes: https://linktr.ee/DDandD

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Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod

This episode brings us Nick from the Hidden GMs Podcast to talk about experimentation in TTRPGs. We discuss the benefits of trying different systems and how they can positively impact how you run your current game. No matter what game you play, everything is dependant on the trust between the players and the GM. One way you can experiment in your D&D 5e game is by handing more control over to your players, be that via extensive character knowledge, in game, or collaborative worldbuilding outside of the game.

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Find Thinking Critically online: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk

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Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod

Once again I welcome Lucas Zellers, a.k.a @SparkOtter, as we continue our theme from the Monster episode. We discuss a critical topic as Lucas takes us through his new project: Book of Extinction. The book gives game statistics and lore for D&D 5e, alongside real-world history for some of the world’s most famous extinct animals. The project comes at a critical time as earth’s sixth mass extinction accelerates, with more species likely to disappear in the next 20 years than in the last century alone according to the National Academy of Sciences. We discuss the possibility of society becoming numb to extinction, and how these natural events have inescapably shaped the Monster Manual.

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Find Thinking Critically online: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk

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Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod

I'm once again joined by Bart Wynants (a.k.a. @critographer), this time to talk about how to write TTRPGs. As with many tasks, mind set and habit formation is of upmost importance for success. Bart suggests embodying different 'roles' when writing TTRPG content: The "Architect" for big picture, macro level structure. The "Builder" for content creation and putting meat on the bones. And finally, the "Interior Designer" for beautifying and improving the user experience. This compartmentalisation can help forward momentum by focusing on what's important at that time. A unique aspect of writing for TTRPGs is how you have to keep several different kinds of audience in mind: DMs, players, and viewers/consumers. Each type demands unique considerations and concessions - listen to the episode to find the tips you need approach this and find success!

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Find Thinking Critically online: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk

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Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod

This episode I'm joined by Andrew & Vesna Gronosky from Shewstone Publishing, who leverage their extensive knowledge to discuss the implications of having a "history" in your TTRPG setting. The different lifespans of races can have a profound impact in their culture and what they consider important enough to record; what happened "a long time ago" to a human can be relatively "yesterday" to an elf. We can use these schisms to drive worldbuilding and roleplay opportunities. Fortunately for us, real life has volumes and volumes of inspiration, and most of the heavy lifting has already been done over the span of human history.

Find Andrew & Vesna via Shewstone Publishing on:

Find Thinking Critically online: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk

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Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod

This episode features Eli Royall from the We Play RPGs podcast family! We discuss how to establish canon in your setting, and the implications of having a standardised fiction. The second problem is how to communicate this to players and bridge that player/character divide; when a character has lived in the world for 50 years, how can the setting and DM effectively translate that into something players can use to guide their actions?

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Find Thinking Critically online: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk

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Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod

This spicy episode I'm joined by Fruits from The Homebakery to talk all about flavouring our D&D campaigns. A large portion of the show is spent discussing the different classes and their subclass options, and how their baggage inherently affects the flavour of player characters. We then move on to introducing food and drink into your campaign, and how it's perhaps an often overlooked vehicle for enabling role play opportunities.

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Find Thinking Critically online: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk

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Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod