April 03, 2025

Why Your Villain Falls Flat (And How to Fix It with Show, Don’t Tell) | Part 1 of the Show Don't Tell Mini Series

31 minutes

Most villains fail not because they're weak—but because your players aren’t emotionally invested. In this episode, we kick off a powerful new storytelling series with a focus on “Show, Don’t Tell”—starting with the most misunderstood piece of storytelling in D&D: the villain.

You’ll learn:

Why simply saying “he’s the bad guy” never works
How to build villains that evoke real fear, anger, or awe
A concrete method for triggering emotional investment
Real-world villain examples (and mistakes to avoid)

Ready to turn your villains from forgettable into unforgettable? Let’s roll.

👉 Want even more insights? Patrons get bonus content featuring improv warm-ups, DM scene setting, and personal geeking out sessions. Join at https://session0studios.com/patreon

Special thanks to:

Benj Weyland for our Graphic Design

Techsenpai, Juka and TJ Max for being great moderators!

Foxy Beard for being a patron.

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By Justin Lewis

4.7

3535 ratings