The Dm's Deep Dive With Mike Shea

Mike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master

Mike offers three quick tips for getting started running Rime of the Frostmaiden. Original Youtube Video Sam Dillon's Creed of Auril Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Podcast Contents 00:00 Intro 00:27 Tip 1: Apply the Right Character Motivation 01:33 Tip 2: Start in Bryn Shander 02:42 Tip 3: Add the Cult of Auril

Mike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master

Mike talks with Celeste Conowitch of 2C Gaming about her upcoming Venture Maidens campaign sourcebook currently live on Kickstarter! Venture Maidens Kickstarter Original Youtube Video Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master

Mike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master

Mike offers guidelines for running huge hordes of monsters in D&D and looks at a number of alternative approaches. Show notes Original Youtube Video Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Podcast Contents 00:00 Intro 00:41 Mike's recommended horde system 05:03 Why we care about horde guidelines 05:58 Mike's criteria for good horde guidelines 06:54 Horde guidelines from the Dungeon Master's Guide (Chap 8, Pg 250) 08:26 4e D&D style minions 09:38 Single-stat-block hordes 10:36 5e Hardcore Mode's horde guidelines 12:09 13th Age mook rules 13:25 Mike's recommended horde guidelines review 15:53 Problems with Mike's horde guidelines 18:14 The importance of horde guidelines for D&D

Mike chats with Teos Abadia about D&D skill challenges! Original Youtube Video Mastering Dungeons Alphastream.org Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master

Mike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master

Mike gives a short talk about ability checks, failing forward, and succeeding with a cost. Show notes Original Youtube Video Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Podcast Contents: 00:00 Intro 00:38 The core mechanic of D&D 01:35 You don't need an ability check for easy stuff 02:02 Easy steps to choose a DC 03:04 DCs don't change based on the character's abilities 03:52 The power of improvising ability checks 04:32 Ability checks in complicated situations 07:08 Understand the in-world situation instead of focusing on mechanics 09:09 Asking for a check without a DC to see if they succeed at a cost 10:45 The improvisational power of ability checks, succeeding at a cost, and failing forward

Mike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master

Mike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master    

Mike describes a robust D&D adventure or campaign quest model that offers a lot of flexibility and prevents quests from being thwarted with the capture or removal of a single key. Read the Show Notes Watch the Original Youtube Video Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master

Mike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Support Sly Flourish on Patreon

Mike offers tips and tricks to maintain a good pace in your D&D game; one of the most important traits a DM can practice. Show Notes Books and Articles Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Chapter 24 Hamlet’s Hit Points by Robin Laws Your Best Game Ever by Monte Cook Games Kobold Guide to Plots and Campaigns by Kobold Press Timing and Pacing Adventures on Sly Flourish Improving Pacing on Sly Flourish

Mike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Support Sly Flourish on Patreon

Mike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Rime of the Frostmaiden One-Page Campaign Guide Support Sly Flourish on Patreon

Mike talks about the importance of being on the players' side when we run our D&D games. Youtube video version Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master  Core principles - Working *with* the players, not against them. - You're not a competitor. - The DM is an antenna to another world. We're the vehicle for storytelling. - We're not the baddies. We're not our villains. We're not on the opposite side of the chess board. - We're *fans* of the characters (Thanks Dungeon World!) - The players understand about half of what's going on. - The characters understand far more than the players do. - The characters are smart and skilled in their roles. They have knowledge the characters do not. - Fun doesn't mean just upward beats, it means risk and reward, upward and downward beats. Hard situations and hard meaningful decisions. The DM's Job - Build the situation around the story, not around the characters. - Clarify that situation to the p

Mike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Rime of the Frostmaiden One-Page Campaign Guide Support Sly Flourish on Patreon

Mike discusses tips for running awesome D&D combat. Original Youtube Video Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Podcast Contents 00:00 Intro 00:18 Run with four players. 00:57 Run lower level games. Level 3 is the sweet spot. 01:38 Use static monster damage. 02:15 Run theater of the mind combat for small battles. 03:02 Inject the story and fiction into large battles. 04:49 Draw characters in off-turn with skill checks and info. 05:36 Use abstract maps – break out of the grid. 08:04 Ask for intent. 09:13 Have alternative goals - Add a Combat Out. 11:04 Don't say "Let's Call it Right Here". 11:53 Adjusting the dials (HP, Damage, Number of Monsters, Number of Attacks). 13:11 Offer Cinematic Advantage 15:10 Randomly select targets 16:06 Make boss fights interesting Relevant articles Guide to Theater of the Mind Combat The Abstract Battlemap Replacing Flanking with Cinematic Advantage Collected Experiences Running Boss Fights  

Mike talks with Ryan Servis of 2C Gaming about the role of the DM and debating objectivity versus a bias towards the characters in our D&D games. Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master