Text us, Psyclithids Episode Details & Links Today I'm joined by my friends and gaming group members, Nate and Chris Pohl to discuss three different topics that each have three parts to them. Tricks of the Trade Information & Links In tricks of the trade we tackle a difficult challenge, trying to combine all three topics from our episode into three concepts that you can feel free to use at your gaming table. Knowledge Check References and Links Kishore, K. (2021, August 12). How to commu...
Feb 19, 2023•33 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Text us, Psyclithids Episode Details & Links Today we are joined by the illustrious and brilliant author, Keith Ammann to discus monster psychology. What are the monsters in our game thinking, and how should they behave in order to be believable? Tricks of the Trade Information & Links Keith shares with us a few simple steps to make your monsters or villains more believable. Guest Bio & Links Keith Ammann has been a Dungeons & Dragons player and DM for more than thirty years. He ...
Feb 12, 2023•38 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Text us, Psyclithids Episode Details & Links Today I'm joined by Nate and Chris Pohl as we discuss what it means to "win" in a TTRPG. We share a few different ideas that could constitute good winning or bad winning and how we can make sure our games are focused more on the good approach to winning. Tricks of the Trade Information & Links Today we give ideas on how to make sure the winning focus is on players versus the story rather than players versus each other.. Knowledge Check Referen...
Feb 05, 2023•29 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Text us, Psyclithids Episode Details & Links On today's episode I'm joined by Laura & Noel from the Do We Level Up Podcast . We discuss their show and their experiences with running low and no prep sessions. Tricks of the Trade Information & Links On tricks of the trade we give you several ideas for how to pull off a low or no prep session. Fantasy Name Generator DMs Guild The Lazy DM Guest Bio & Links Noel is the Dungeon Master, and Laura a player on the podcast, Do We Level Up....
Jan 29, 2023•27 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Text us, Psyclithids Episode Details & Links Today we are talking about keeping your players attention at the table. Tricks of the Trade Information & Links Most of our episode today is tricks of the trade that will help you keep the attention of your players. Knowledge Check References and Links The Article Wisniewski, C. (2022, January 24). Understanding some basic components of attention . Psychology Today. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/younoo...
Jan 22, 2023•18 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Text us, Psyclithids Episode Details & Links Today I am joined by Matt and Bobby of the Twenty Sides Podcast to discuss their show and our main topic, creature centered campaigns. In knowledge check I'll be talking about the debate that violent games lead to violent behavior. Tricks of the Trade Information & Links In today’s Tricks of the Trade, I have asked Matt and Bobby to share one idea each on a specific creature to use to build a campaign around. I also share an idea of my own. Gu...
Jan 15, 2023•37 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Text us, Psyclithids Episode Details & Links In todays episode I'm joined once again by my friend Dustin to discuss retcons. What they are, when they can occur, and when they should be used or not. Tricks of the Trade Information & Links We discuss situations in which we feel a retcon is acceptable even if a lot of time has passed. Guest Bio & Links Dustin Archer is a lifelong gamer and has been part of my gaming group for over 25 years. He was the individual responsible for my own i...
Jan 08, 2023•31 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Text us, Psyclithids Episode Details & Links Hello and welcome to the Season 2 premier! On this episode I sit down with the legendary Monte Cook and we discuss his background and the elements of worldbuilding. Tricks of the Trade Information & Links On Tricks of the Trade we discuss some ideas to get you into building worlds of your own. Guest Bio & Links Having worked as a professional writer for almost 30 years, Monte Cook can honestly say that he’s never had a real job. As a game ...
Jan 01, 2023•50 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Text us, Psyclithids I am featuring this episode of the The Introspective Leader Podcast which I had the pleasure of being on! In this episode, Rachel and Stuart discuss with Robert Walker--DM, corporate manager, and student of organizational psychology--how game role-playing can enhance, and is enhanced by, one's understanding of human psychology and how that understanding can translate into one's role as a leader and a manager. And be sure to check out Robert's podcast, The Dungeons, Dragons, ...
Dec 09, 2022•44 min
Text us, Psyclithids On this amazing bonus episode I am joined by the hosts of Dragon Talk, the Official D&D Podcast, Greg Tito and Shelly Mazzanoble. We discuss their upcoming book, stories from their book and show, and talk about how amazing the community of TTRPGs is, how D&D has something for everyone, and the power of this community to make positive changes in the world and our personal lives. In Tricks of the Trade Shelly and Greg give us some ideas and inspiration to use as we ven...
Nov 13, 2022•44 min0
Text us, Psyclithids Today I am joined by three of my gaming companions as we wrap up Season 1 with discussions about changes to next season's format, our favorite moments of season 1 and games we played in this year, and a couple of tangents along the way. In Tricks of the Trade we each give our #1 piece of advice to make your games better, and I have a very special guest announcement for a bonus episode airing next month, Greg Tito & Shelly Mazzanoble cohosts of the official D&D podcas...
Oct 30, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Text us, Psyclithids In today's session I'm joined by author J.V. Hilliard, the author of The Warminster Series. We discuss his novels, his background as both a role-player and a Dungeon Master, where he found inspiration for his stories and his main characters, and more. In Tricks of the Trade Joe gives us some ideas for how to go from telling stories, to writing them. J.V. Hilliard's Links Website Buy The Last Keeper Buy Vorodin's Lair Amazon Author Page Instagram Dragon Moon Press Altered Rea...
Oct 23, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Text us, Psyclithids On today's episode I am joined by Dalton Riddle and Andrew Gehrlein, two of creative minds behind Dungeon Radio Hour, an improve comedy actual play 5E podcast. We chat about their show and what makis it so enjoyable and unique and also talk about comedy and the value that being a little silly can add to tabletop games. We also devolve into laughter at least a few times... In Tricks of the Trade the three of us each have an idea for how to give your own games a bit of comic r...
Oct 16, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Text us, Psyclithids In today's session I talk with Chaney Hereford and Cory Holman, the creators of Super Blood Moon Studios and their upcoming RPG Realms of Elghrune. We discuss how their system came about and how it can make playing TTRPGs less complicated especially new players. Chaney also discusses how roleplaying games, have contributed to management of living with schizophrenia and creating a space where he can understand the weight and acceptance of choices. www.realmsofelghrune.com Dis...
Oct 09, 2022•40 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Text us, Psyclithids In todays session I'm joined by Tom Sanderson, the host of the podcast Tom Meets Interesting People, and we discuss his university dissertation of the formation of friendships through roleplaying games. In Tricks of the Trade we discuss ideas for DMs to use as icebreakers when making new friends around the table. https://open.spotify.com/show/2F1IPzbKUKgEEq101kyU6w?si=02182f373b1c44d7 https://www.instagram.com/tom_meets_interesting_people/ tommeetsinterestingpeople@gmail.com...
Oct 02, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Text us, Psyclithids In today's session I discuss whether players should play characters who don't represent them as a person. I share an experience of my own that I recently had when playing a character with a different sexual identity than myself, and discuss how psychology can help us answer this question through the subject of implicit bias. On Tricks of the Trade I offer a few ideas for character options that you could use to help modify your own implicit biases. Keywords : dnd, D&D, dn...
Sep 25, 2022•16 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Text us, Psyclithids In this session I discuss how views that I have expressed in the past have been wrong and insensitive. I look at what the 3 primary problems with the Drow have been, and how we can still maintain the current literature that we have while still addressing the problems and understanding that these changes mean that we can be more inclusive and sensitive. Keywords : dnd, D&D, dnd podcast, dungeons and dragons, podcast, ttrpg, rpg, roleplaying, roleplaying game, DM, dungeon ...
Sep 18, 2022•16 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Text us, Psyclithids In today's session I'm joined by my close friends Nate and Chris as we discuss how to bring games to a successful conclusion. In Tricks of the Trade we give you some ideas of endings that you could plan for in your own campaigns. Keywords : dnd, D&D, dnd podcast, dungeons and dragons, podcast, ttrpg, rpg, roleplaying, roleplaying game, DM, dungeon master, game master, dnd ideas, Podcast Art by Kyle Baerlocher Intro music by 33nano from GabrielDouglas from Pixabay Support...
Sep 11, 2022•33 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Text us, Psyclithids On today's bonus episode I sit down with Dan Ware, a mental heath therapist, who discusses his experiences in playing a character with dissociative personality disorder. He offers commentary on where he draws inspiration from to play a complicated character, and how many of the personalities are reflections of himself. He also offers some pointers for how to organize a character concept like this if you ever feel ambitious enough to give it a shot. Keywords : dnd, D&D, d...
Sep 07, 2022•30 min0
Text us, Psyclithids In today's session I am pleased to be joined by Jordan, the Dungeon Master for campaign 2 of Modified Roll. We discuss the show, and how they played through backstory elements. In our main topic we discuss using dreams and visions and how they can help and sometimes maybe even hinder games. In Tricks of the Trade we discuss ways in which you can utilize dreams in your own campaigns. Check out Modified Roll https://www.modifiedroll.com/ Instagram @ModifiedRoll Contact Jordan ...
Sep 04, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Text us, Psyclithids In todays session I am joined by Kala Lundgren and Keisha Mayer-Gawlik from Potions & Potpourri. We discuss their background and show before moving to our main topic on NPCs In tricks of the trade we give you ideas for NPCs that you can add right to your campaigns. Keywords : dnd, D&D, dnd podcast, dungeons and dragons, podcast, ttrpg, rpg, roleplaying, roleplaying game, DM, dungeon master, game master, dnd ideas, Podcast Art by Kyle Baerlocher Intro music by 33nano ...
Aug 28, 2022•31 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Text us, Psyclithids In today's session I'm Joined by Logan, the Innkeeper of The Red Hare Inn. We discuss his background and what got him into TTRPGs then discuss the various projects he has going on in his homebrew word of Ecriom including their actual play podcast. In our main topic we discuss adventure writing and how we each go about it. For Tricks of the Trade, we offer several ideas for single session adventures to send your players on. Keywords : dnd, D&D, dnd podcast, dungeons and d...
Aug 21, 2022•33 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Text us, Psyclithids Hey there psyclithids! This is a rather long episode where we explore our feelings on different alignments and why we each have our own opinions on what types of alignments work best in a game. Later on we discuss the the elimination and revision of alignments as has recently happened in some of the major TTRPGs. In tricks of the trade we each give an idea for how to effectively compromise around the table when alignment issues do get in the way. Keywords : dnd, D&D, dnd...
Aug 14, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Text us, Psyclithids We've made it to our twentieth episode my psyclithids! Celebrate the achievement with our Twentieth Episode Extravaganza! On this episode we decide to have a roundtable without a specific topic. We share stories from our gaming backgrounds, some of our favorite moments, or failures, and advice for DMs and players that we have acquired over our long gaming history. Keywords : dnd, D&D, dnd podcast, dungeons and dragons, podcast, ttrpg, rpg, roleplaying, roleplaying game, ...
Aug 07, 2022•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 20
Text us, Psyclithids Hello Psyclithids! On today's episode I am joined by my friends Nate, Keegan, & Jamae as we discuss how stat rolling methods with greater diversity in numbers can actually lead to having more character cooperation in a game. Later, in Tricks of the Trade we each give a suggest about how to accomplish player cooperation using stats. Keywords : dnd, D&D, dnd podcast, dungeons and dragons, podcast, ttrpg, rpg, roleplaying, roleplaying game, DM, dungeon master, game mast...
Jul 31, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Text us, Psyclithids Greetings psyclithids! In today's episode I am joined by Kimothee and Keegan and we discuss creating character backstories. We also delve into the importance of session zero for establishing comfort levels when dealing with fantasy racism and other possibly problematic scenarios. In tricks of the trade we each share an idea about what could make an interesting backstory. Keywords : dnd, D&D, dnd podcast, dungeons and dragons, podcast, ttrpg, rpg, roleplaying, roleplaying...
Jul 24, 2022•33 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Text us, Psyclithids Hello psyclithids! In todays session I am joined by members of my gaming group; Dustin, Kimothee, and Jamae as we discuss how monsters are oftentimes not played to their full potential and examine some of the reasons why this is. Later in Tricks of the Trade I surprise them with monsters at random and ask my guests to come up with ways to utilize those monster's unique intelligence to destroy a party. Keywords : dnd, D&D, dnd podcast, dungeons and dragons, podcast, ttrpg...
Jul 17, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Text us, Psyclithids In today's session I have finally settled on a name for my listeners, psyclithids. The illithids who are drinking the knowledge of psychology and D&D from my brain via this podcast. I'm joined for the main topic by my friend and gaming companion Jamae who is our resident expert on mundane items, tools, and alchemy. In tricks of the trade we discuss ideas on how to power up such items for your own campaigns. Keywords : dnd, D&D, dnd podcast, dungeons and dragons, podc...
Jul 10, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Text us, Psyclithids In today's session, I am joined by my friends and members of my gaming group, Dustin and Kimothee as we discuss turning your campaigns into the canon of your world. We talk about some of the benefits as well as the drawbacks of going about this. Then, in Tricks of the Trade we offer a few ideas on how to keep your canon timelines organized. Keywords : dnd, D&D, dnd podcast, dungeons and dragons, podcast, ttrpg, rpg, roleplaying, roleplaying game, DM, dungeon master, game...
Jul 03, 2022•25 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Text us, Psyclithids In todays session I'm joined by Dustin Archer and we discuss methods of fast travel, such as teleport or narrative rather than encounters. We also talk about time skipping during the course of a campaign. Tricks of the Trade involves ideas for how these time shifting methods can happen in your games. Keywords : dnd, D&D, dnd podcast, dungeons and dragons, podcast, ttrpg, rpg, roleplaying, roleplaying game, DM, dungeon master, game master, dnd ideas, Podcast Art by Kyle B...
Jun 26, 2022•26 min•Season 1Ep. 14
