Do you know the difference between the acrobatics and athletics skills? What about survival and nature? How about bluff and diplomacy? In this episode of becomingDM, John and Felicia talk about skills that may give DMs some trouble when trying to determine what's best to use in a given situation. They will go over the nuances that make the skills different and make suggestions on when to use which one. Additionally they talk through some skills that are misinterpreted and make suggestions on cha...
May 28, 2020•39 min•Ep. 21
Combat and exploration is a big part of running a tabletop role playing game, so carefully considering how you set the scene for those situations can determine how invested your players are in the game. In this episode of becomingDM, John and Felicia talk about the four main options for setting the scene in your game as well as the pros and cons of using each. Whether it's theater of the mind, using a wet erase grid map, dungeon tiles or a digital option there is no wrong choice as long as you t...
May 14, 2020•48 min•Ep. 20
Whether you're running a game of political intrigue or an epic hack n slash campaign, sometimes traveling between points A and B can fall a bit flat. Sure, everyone wants to keep the story going, but sometimes having the story broken up by unexpected trips during travel can make the game that enjoyable. In this episode of becomingDM, John and Felicia discuss ways to make your travel more than just, "you travel for a week and make it to your destination." Whether it's by seeding in additional com...
Apr 30, 2020•39 min•Ep. 19
You've been waiting for years and you feel like the day is finally here. Your kids have gotten old enough to actually play in your favorite tabletop role playing game! But wait, how do you make sure that their first experience keeps them wanting to come back for more? This week on becomingDM, John and Felicia talk about things to be aware of and plan for when running games for kids. Whether it's being aware of what subject matter is appropriate, or determining whether or not to simplify the char...
Apr 16, 2020•40 min•Ep. 18
With all of the news about COVID-19 going around, it's easy to understand why so many in person games may have been cancelled in order to stay in line with social distancing and stay at home orders. But don't fret! You don't have to push the pause button on your campaign! In this episode, we cover moving your game to an online virtual tabletop and running the game with remote players. John and Felicia will cover everything including what to consider when choosing a virtual tabletop system to pre...
Apr 02, 2020•43 min•Ep. 17
We're starting a new "every so often" series here at becomingDM called "My Favorite Monster" where Felicia and John discuss some of their favorite monsters to throw against players at their tables. Each new episode in the series will cover new monsters, talk about some specific traits that are important for them and how they like to use them in their campaign. So join us for the first episode! In this episode we talk about Stirges, Owlbears, Wraiths, and Shadows. Don't let the lower CRs on some ...
Mar 19, 2020•38 min•Ep. 16
Puzzles can be a great addition to you game to get players more involved, unless they aren't. In this episode of becomingDM, John and Felicia talk about a number of things to consider when integrating puzzles into your tabletop role playing game. They will cover determining whether or not your players will even enjoy having puzzles in the game, different types of puzzles (including riddles and others) and key tips on how to integrate them in a session. We want to know about puzzles you've used i...
Mar 05, 2020•35 min•Ep. 15
Whether you are just starting out running games or you've been a DM for a quarter century there are probably skills that you could identify that you feel are important for running a quality game. Is it the ability to smile during adversity? Or maybe being able to fold origami swans that you can throw at your players. Whatever it is, hopefully there is some overlap with what you and your players think are key skills. In this episode of becomingDM, Johna and Felicia discuss their top six skills fo...
Feb 20, 2020•44 min•Ep. 14
Even though role playing games are times when people come together to create a story together, sometimes it's not all harmony. Some players actively destroy the balance of harmony and can make games take significantly longer, upset other players, and in the worst cases completely torpedo the game. This week, John and Felicia talk about how to work and deal with problem players at your table. Whether you're encountering the chronic metagamer, rules lawyers, flakers, or classic troublemakers we'll...
Feb 06, 2020•48 min•Ep. 13
It's the last episode of the build your own series! When it comes to building out a campaign, building a nemesis can be a big undertaking. In addition to determining whether your characters will end up choosing their own nemesis because of their own actions, you have to concern yourself with a big personality, back story, and even potentially build out a full character. Join us in this episode as John and Felicia cover this information and more. Whether you're build a nemesis that is evil incarn...
Jan 23, 2020•39 min•Ep. 12
