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Some systems that are really made for this idea, where more failure eventually builds skill or ability, include GURPS and the older d6 West End Games version of Star Wars. Systems that grant experience points that can be used to directly augment skills are best for this. When I was playing the...

I am so not the "fix it" guy. I have to go for mending. 1001 uses. I was going to pick guidance as a close second. That extra d4 on things I try to do in real life could really help. It probably would have come in handy when I was a student. I could have used a boost to my test taking...

Bravo. I’m an old timer and when I learned to play and DM I never had the benefit of watching others play unless I joined different groups. I really like how streamed games show ways to play and DM. My son and his friends play now and they all watch Critical Role. When I listen and watch...

I love what Matt Mercer and the players in his game do and it has certainly contributed to the growth of D&D. I enjoy watching when I can and it has made me so much more conscious of the role playing potential in game sessions. That said, I’ve stopped watching because his ability to use...

I’m about 1/2 through but we’ve paused for a while. Since a lot of the adventure is dungeon, be sure to get into npc development. Before each session, I would review npcs that the party might meet and I’d list their motivation and personality trait so I could interact more fully with pcs...

I was lucky that a DM/player in my online group coached me with FG. He’s a FG expert. Most of the learning is by doing, reading and using video. At first, I didn’t even use any of the automation, but after a while I incorporated more and more. The official adventures are awesome and a huge...

Social interaction is almost entirely up to my players. In design, I try to give the players opportunity to interact with NPCs and monsters and almost any situation can involve socializing with chances to avoid combat if that’s what the players want to try. My best sessions happen when I...

I've almost gotten to the point were I expect it to be a short battle so when it isn't I'm pleasantly surprised. I've also found that parties of 3 or 4 are much more vulnerable than 5 or more. I kind of feel that with an experienced group, 3 is actually the magic number for the power curve I...

I agree with many who hate when players calculate the odds and have to know to the % point what each action's chance of success will be. That ruins immersion for me as a DM and a player. In 1e, there really wasn't any action resolution mechanic. If an attempt seemed reasonable, we'd let it...

when I first started playing D&D in the 70s with Basic and 1e, immersion was so much easier because the entire experience was mind-blowingly new and frankly, the rules were too random and unorganized to truly understand on ones own. As a result, my friends and Iread, studied and oogled over the...

Lots of old Yes and King Crimson, especially the following: “Gates of Delirium” - Yes. And “Court of the Crimson King” - King Crimson.

A long time ago, I ran a Blingdenstone playtest and created a quick random encounter chart. Some are creatures, some are flavor, some are hazards, some are a combination. Nothing much...but here it is if it helps: Underdark Exploration Table 1. Tunnel crawl 2. Rumbles…rock slide down a...

I use Fantasy Grounds, but I like reading adventures on my phone to prep for games. That said, I only purchase a few for DND Beyond.

Cool. In one of my 3.5e campaigns, I had pcs travel through a portal to a post apocalyptic military base. It was a 4-5 session interlude in which I used Darwin’s World material. It was fun. Note: all the players in my group at the time were NASA scientists. They loved playing with broken...

As for weird, in the Phandelver campaign I played in, a strange mist formed outside as we entered the Wave Echo cave. We winded our way directly to the areas near where the Black Spider was. We faced too many of the Black Spider allies and nearly bought the farm. We used Rope Trick to hide and...

Here’s a Phandalin plan that worked well for my group although it isn’t weird. It is more cinematic, Old West style. When they get to Phandalin, I liked playing all the towns folk as guarded and terrorized by the Redbrands. After a while, I staged an encounter where some of the Redbrands...

I’m reading them too. Just a few weeks behind. They are awesome. I love seeing how other games run and you write them up so well. Thanks.

I totally agree. I had to put all the personality into that part of the campaign. You do have to pick out the NPCs that you’ll invest with some personality. The inn owner and some villagers in the inn, the guy who runs the town, a few shop keepers, etc.

I ran Lost Mines with some of my old friends from high school (my D&D friends) at a weekend reunion. We played for 18 hours over 3 days and loved it. We got through parts 1-3 so we’re about 3/4 done and pcs ere at 4th level. Spoilers When you run it, I’d suggest not throwing out too many...

Personally, leveling my pc is one of the most rewarding parts of the game experience. I would play in a campaign without leveling, but I would probably not feel as much of a sense of accomplishment or character development. I played 1e when I was a teen and the slow leveling probably contributed...