Thinking Critically: A D&D Discussion

This episode I'm joined by Adam from Snyder's Return to debate the pros and cons of narrative focused TTRPG systems. Such an interesting topic overflowing with meaning, subjectivity, and design intent; this episode covers it all! Firstly, Adam and I set the scope of the show by defining the terms and systems, setting the foundation for next 55 minutes. We then go on to dissect how the relatively crunchy, mechanics-heavy D&D system inevitably impacts the narrative, and the steps you can take to either mitigate, or engage this direction. For example, having a character sheet full of numbers can suggest that bigger numbers are better, and therefore the pursuit of those bigger numbers should be the driving focus of your character. To quote, it's a form of mechanical coercion, where the systems encourage maths, rather than meaning. To round out the episode, Adam explains how the mindset of a GM needs to shift, be almost transient, when dealing with different systems and games. Although the mental overhead is the same between say, D&D and PbtA, the feeling and direction can be quite radically different.

Find Adam (@ReturnSnyder) on:

Find me on:

References:

Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod

CW: 36:40-37:10 Single reference to rape and sexual coercion in the context of the Vampire trope.

Philippa Mort joins me to talk about the varied and wonderful topic of aesthetic. The discussion starts around the different approaches to TTRPG and campaign design; a different perspective to the typical top down/bottom up paradigm. How does one approach "visual design", and how does it differ from "mechanical design"? Philippa shares her experience in designing from visual prompts, and we talk through the various pros and cons when compared to my own meticulous, detail-centric process. A solid campaign aesthetic not only aids world building and provides a strong identify, but it can also help guide players through character creation.

Find Philippa (@MortPhilippa) on:

Find me on:

References:

Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod

CW: A fictional anecdote containing references to NPC children dying and descriptions of gore & bodily harm to children, all within a Dungeons & Dragons context.

This episode Robert Hartley, the DM for Viva La Dirt League, joins me to discuss his streaming experience and why he finds it so addictive. We go through the considerations of running a streamed actual play, compared to just a game at home with friends. Typically, this comes in the form of concessions; inevitably the streamer is distracted from the game. But, as with most things in life, an appreciation of the format is required when planning. The theme or vibe are you trying to achieve with your stream impacts how you approach the content creation process, and with a medium as inherently flexible as D&D, this has a large impact! One of Robert's big draws to streaming though, is interacting with the audience. It's a unique element of the medium, and as such should be leveraged as much of possible. Of course you can see how competes with giving any given D&D game your full attention! Rounding out the episode, when debate the importance of consistency and the parallels between starting D&D, podcasting, and streaming.

Find Robert on:

Find me on:

References:

Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod

This week I'm joined by Quinn the GM to talk about content creation! Quinn is a serial producer, having released 15 products on Dungeon Masters Guild and showing no signs of slowing down, and he takes us through a BTS of his content creation process. We talk about the difficulties of balancing homebrew, and how the concerns shift based on whether it's for your personal game or for public consumption. As a sign of fellowship, Quinn and I share stories of our own self doubt and battles with imposter syndrome, and more importantly, how to overcome them, the answer to which is delightfully simple. Closing the episode, we discuss how the homebrew 5e market has become saturated, and the ways and means to stand out from the crowd.

Find Quinn on:

Find me on:

References:

Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod

This episode, Fabio Vollono of Morgue Miniatures takes us on a trip through time and all the varied & fantastical incarnations of Dungeons & Dragons. Edition by edition, we discuss how the game has changed over the last 30+ years, such as the concept of "boxes" versus our current reality of books. We briefly touch upon some hot topics such as gender stereotypes and the class-agnostic subclasses from Strixhaven through a lens of learning from past mistakes. The history of D&D can be storied and romantic, and in some ways has changed very little; there are still starter sets which fulfil the same purpose as they always have, and the pursuit of profit will always subtlety but substantially affect the design. We round out the episode looking to the future and debate what a potential "6e" might look like. What do you think WOTC will do next?

Find Fabio on:

Find me on:

References:

Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod

I'm joined by one of the hosts of the Double DM podcast, Emil Auerbach, to talk all about failure: how it comes about, how to mitigate it, and most importantly, how to learn from it. Failure is an intrinsic part of Dungeons & Dragons because as soon as you roll a dice, you run the chance of failing. Emil and I discuss several methods to mitigate this as players controlling characters who everyone at the table wants to succeed. From pandering to NPC desires to taking realistic notes, there are always ways to tip the balance in your favour! We then go on to talk about how, as a DM, you can work with your players to overcome challenges and reframe failure as a positive occurrence. Another tricky thing as Dungeon Master is deciding where the line is between introducing realistic consequences for failure versus trying to keep the story progressing and seeing character arcs to fruition. And finally, to make you all feel better, Emil and I take you through a couple of personal examples of where we've failed, so if you ever feel you've made a mistake, know full well you're not alone.

Find Emil (@DoubleDMpod) on:

Find me on:

Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod

Puzzles, the marmite of Dungeons & Dragons! I'm joined by Michael Wu, a.k.a. DM Micycle, to discuss the nuances of designing puzzles for TTRPGs. Certain considerations have to made during the design process, as puzzles are a unique gameplay element in that they are challenges for the players, rather than their characters. Not only do we have to deal with regular awkward rolls (Wizard rolls low on INT, Barbarian rolls natural 20 to solve the puzzle, etc.), but also how to bridge the various gaps between players and their characters. This is a two-way problem, in that not only do characters have vast and innate understanding of the world that players do not (history, magic, science, creatures), but players are also often stronger than their characters (arithmetic, logic, reasoning). Accounting for both these is a critical component in designing challenging but fun puzzles.

Michael explains the differences between what he calls "escape room" and "interactive" puzzles. The former you're likely to find in official material as they are easier to produce and slot into campaigns, however they have several substantial drawbacks. Interactive puzzles on the other hand, although having a larger upfront overhead, are much more flexible, expandable, and engaging for both players and their characters. Ultimately it comes down to understanding; the rules are arbitrary and contrived. Bespoke interactive puzzles, however, have transparent constraints upfront meaning the players and their characters have everything they need to be able to solve it.

Find Michael on:

Find me on:

Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod

"Perpetuating the success of fireball."

Cat McDonald of Peach Garden Games brings her perspective of being an indie TTRPG designer and knowledge of the occult to this talk about magic in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. She takes us through the design processes used when working on Heroic Chord and her other TTRPGs. Unsurprisingly, we discuss at length her freeform magic system where players must homebrew spells on the fly through bargaining with the GM. When you compare this method with the one found in D&D, it's clear to see that 5e encourages power gaming through bread & butter magic items such as a +1 weapons. We world build settings and hooks to how to mitigate this potential lacklustre pitfall, such as a high-magic world which suddenly loses all magic! This brings us to how magic saturation affects a setting, with Cat asking the critical question of "are there bread baking robots in Eberron?"

This episode, for the first time, you can hear my cheeky dog barking in the background at a few points. Apologies!

Find Cat (@CatlingGun) on:

Find me on:

References:

Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod

For this discussion I'm joined by Matt Perkins, DM/podcaster/YouTuber extraordinaire, to talk all about pressure in your TTRPGs! We split the term down the middle by differentiating narrative (in-game) from "meta" (OoG) pressure, however there are often more parallels than initially thought. Join us as we jaunt through topics such as effectively communicating the stakes, how to realise meaningful choices, and why to avoid punitive measures. All with a casual sprinkling of the Jason Statham classic Crank, worldbuilding, and all round tomfoolery. We round out the discussion with our personal struggles with pressure and negativity, from both internal and external sources.

Find Matt on:

Find me on:

References:

Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod

This episode I am joined by professional marketer Zack Applewhite, of Applewhite Games, who takes us on a whistle-stop masterclass of content marketing tips, advice, and real-world examples to help us better promote the amazing work we do! Starting with his suggestion of a "content chop shop" where you disassemble the content you create to vastly increase quality output.

Aside from the academic and business tactics, one thing we discuss at length is comfort. Perhaps unintuitively, it's more beneficial to stick with just the mediums you're comfortable with, to avoid saturation and a loss of quality; persisting with the socials you know and understand holds much more value than spreading yourself thinly over anything and everything. Furthermore, it pays to do your research, as most social media platforms employ various sneaky tricks meaning that you rarely reach your interested audience, let alone new people. Being aware of this can have a huge impact on your mental health; it's a marathon, not a race. As long as you stay consistent and comfortable, your audience will grow.

Please ignore the amateurish splicing of some extra advice Zack thoughtfully provided post-recording, at around the 59:00 mark!

And this week I give you all some homework, to think about the following question: "One definition of 'Marketing' is 'finding out what people want'. How do you do this when the TTRPG hobby is inherently flexible and transient?"

Find Zack (@ApplewhiteGames) on:

Find me on:

Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod