Today Dungeon’s Master and 20ft Radius are proud to present a special episode of our podcast, Recounting Encounters. In this episode we talk to Erik Scott de Bie, author of this season’s adventure Storm Over Neverwinter.

Erik is a professional writer and game designer. Storm Over Neverwinter is Erik’s third contribution to the D&D Encounters program having written the adventures Halaster’s Lost Apprentice (season 1) and The Lost Crown of Neverwinter (season 6). He was also one of the main contributing authors for the Neverwinter Campaign Guide.

Erik’s most popular and recognized character is Shadowbane. So far Shadowbane has appeared in three novels Downshadow, Shadowbane, and Shadowbane: Eye of Justice. You can also download Chosen of the Sword: A Shadowbane Novella from Erik’s website for free.

Marc, Craig and I have a candid discussion with Erik as he shares plenty of insight and behind the scenes information about writing, game design, and the D&D Encounters program. We got Erik to provide some never before heard stories about designing the new Neverwinter, putting together this season of Encounters, and some of the challenges he faced along the way. Whether you’re the DM or a player this season, you’ll find this interview interesting and valuable.

• Follow Erik Scott de Bie on Twitter @erikscottdebie.
• Erik Scott de Bie
• Bibliography

Interview highlights:

• 2:03 – Encounters this season and the launch of the Neverwinter video game
• 6:03 – Compression of the story for what WotC wanted.
• 7:18 – Arcs in this season for personal games at home
• 9:38 – “Implicating” Erik
• 13:38 – DnDNext and D&D Encounters
• 16:58 – Easter eggs throughout
• 17:55 – New Shadowbane novel?
• 21:08 – erikscottdebie.com
• 24:29 – The Neverwinter Campaign Setting
• 28:29 – Transformations of the Beached Leviathan
• 30:15 – Neverwinter game
• 37:08 – Treading lightly and talking about this season’s final encounter
• 44:09 – Doing what is best for your table
• 49:01 – D&D Encounters at higher levels
• 1:03:00 – The Final Story

Recounting Encounters is a weekly podcast I record with fellow Toronto DM, Craig Sutherland, and Marc Talbot (Alton) from 20ft Radius in which we recount that week’s experiences with D&D Encounters. We share the highlights from our respective FLGS and we talk about what worked, what didn’t and what we might have done differently. Find all episodes of Recounting Encounters on iTunes.

Visit the Dungeon’s Master D&D Encounters Archive for all of our ongoing weekly coverage as well as other great D&D Encounters articles and resources.

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On Friday we comb through our extensive archives to find an older article that we feel deserves another look. From January 7, 2011, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: How To Handle A Split Party In 5 Easy Steps.

It happens in every campaign, one player decides to go off and pursue an agenda or lead that only they understand. The player is totally focused on their objective, nothing else seems to matter. No one else at the table understands it. The DM is at his wits end to contain and control the situation. The other players are slowing losing interest and the entire adventure is about to be waylaid.

If you’ve ever sat at a table where you weren’t the player things were focused on, you know the boredom that soon sets in. The frustration at wanting to move forward, but not being able to due to the indulgence or poor planning of the DM. If you haven’t lived through this eventuality you likely haven’t been playing D&D very long, but don’t worry I’m sure it will happen to you soon enough.

In order to make this eventuality less painful for everyone, here are five steps that provide some straightforward advice on how to handle things if one or more players decide to split the party.

1. Provide an equal amount of time for each player.
   Nothing builds resentment towards other players than one player hogging all of the gaming time. While turns in combat will invariably differ in length depending on what options a player selects, the same is not necessarily true outside of combat. Yes, some players will want to do more than others on their turn. Do your best to limit how long each player acts and provide an equal measure of time to everyone.
2. Keep it interesting for all players.
   Often the separation occurs because one player wants to pursue a particular objective. This is fine if the separation will only take a few minutes to resolve itself. When the objective requires more time develop plot lines for the remaining players at the table. There is nothing worse than having four players sit around bored while a fifth delves into a plot line that only they are involved with. Make sure you keep everyone involved or you’ll hear about it after the session.
3. When the party separation occurs incorporate a skill challenge in to raise the stakes.
   Many DMs running 4e don’t like skill challenges or simply don’t get them. By adding a combat encounter when the party separates you raise the stakes and encourage all players at the table to participate. For more assistance with spontaneous skill challenges chectout Skill Challenges On The Fly.
4. If combat occurs, keep it small and well contained, but don’t diminish the stakes of defeat.
   Party separation doesn’t mean “no combat” or “only role-playing situations.” Feel free to include a small combat for one or two of the players. There are two ways to handle combat in these situations and you’ll likely know which way to go based on the scenario. One is to have a combat encounter that has serious repercussions and could result in the death of the character. The other is to allow the player to enjoy the combat and feel really powerful. You’ll know which way to go, so trust your gut and have fun with it. If you are looking for more advice on handling combat this way, see how we Split The Partysuccessfully in our campaign.
5. Ensure that all avenues of pursuit provide something meaningful for the game.
   If the party separates so that everyone can go and purchase new gear and one player really wants to role-play it out and negotiate for a better deal, ask yourself one question. What does this add to the game? If the answer is nothing, nip it in the bud and move on. This doesn’t mean don’t entertain the novelty of the idea, just don’t let it distract from the overall adventure. A DM who allows one player to dominate the table for an hour just to purchase new gear is asking for trouble.

Has your party ever split up? How did you handle it? Did one or two players hog the limelight? What other steps would you offer a DM faced with a party that splits up?

Related reading:

• Splitting the Party Successfully

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Chapter 2 began after the party took an extended rest. The storm continued raging over Neverwinter, but the rain and wind slowed considerably. The heroes took advantage of the break in the storm to take care of some personal business before heading to Helm’s Hold where they were going to meet Elden Vargas.

The party decided to split up. The Cleric and Deva Wizard went to visit Lady Sala Nidris and her son Zan, the Rogue went to the Beached Leviathan, the Shade Wizard stayed at Midnight’s Mask, and the Hexblade ventured off on his own to take care of a personal matter tied into his back story.

For the second week in a row we had more players than we could handle at the Silver Snail in Toronto. Due to limited space we can only run a maximum of three tables each week. All three were full this week – two tables of six and one of seven. A couple of our regulars decided not to expand the tables of six to tables of seven and instead took a week off. My table had six including a Human Warlock Hexblade, Wilden Cleric, Deva Wizard, Shade Wizard, Halfling Rogue and a Pixie Bard (Skald). So five of six from last week.

Lady Sala Nidris

When the Cleric and Wizard arrived at Lady Nidris’s home they were welcomed inside. The PCs explained they were there to check up on her and Zan. Lady Nidris was clearly upset and at the mention of Zan began crying. She told them how Zan became enraged and acted wildly when the whole town was beseeched by the madness. Her Guards had to subdue Zan before he hurt himself or someone else. Mintarn soldiers were called and took Zan to Helm’s Hold for treatment. Lady Nidris misses her son greatly and will be heading to Helm’s Hold as soon as the storm passes. She asks the PCs if they will accompany her on the journey and they agreed.

Beached Leviathan

When the Rogue arrived at the Breached Leviathan it was busier than he’d ever seen it before. There was a line outside and bouncers keeping the patron’s in check. When people spotted the Rogue they cheered him. The bouncers let him cut the line and enter. Inside the people again cheered him. Captain Harrag explained to the Rogue that people flocked to the Beached Leviathan last night after the PC left seeking a safe place to escape the madness. As new people arrived they were told of the PCs’ heroics in defeating the Devils. From there the story grew and the PCs became instant celebrities. The Rogue reluctantly accepted his mantle of hero, partaking in a few free drinks. He asked Harrag about Helm’s Hold but didn’t learn anything new.

The Hexblade’s Tale

As part of his back story the Hexblade sought his missing companion. He spent the day following up on new leads and was successful. He found her and extracted revenge. The party noticed that his mood had changed greatly when he rejoined the party.

Midnight’s Mask

The Shade Wizard decided to celebrate by having a few drinks and waiting for the rest of the party to finish their business and meet him at Midnight’s Mask later in the day. Once everyone had returned, the PCs learned that the wake for Muln Horan was being held here today. They were welcomed to the ceremony where they met many of the fallen Dwarf’s friends. General Sabine herself was in attendance. The Shade Wizard explained to Sabine that they needed to get into Helm’s Hold but the doors were barred. Sabine dismissed the claims as outrageous until he told her that Elden Vargas had told them as much. That got her attention. She agreed to provide letters of authority in the name of Lord Neverember that would guarantee them admission.

Journey to Helm’s Hold

The following day the PCs got ready to journey to Helm’s Hold. General Sabine provided them with letters as promised as well as six horses, saddled and ready for the journey. Once the PCs left Neverwinter’s boarders they were met by Vargas. He explained that after the attempt on his life he took the last day to stay out of sight. He gathered the magic he needed to help his wife and was glad the PCs were accompanying him to Helm’s Hold.

When they arrived at the sanctuary about 4 hours later, there was a group of people mulling about outside. When they saw the PCs they cheered. “Now we’ll get them to open the doors,” someone called out. The heroes dismounted and approached the front gate. When they knocked the Guards spoke through the doors. “No one enters; no one leaves.”

The PCs explained who they were and that they were her on explicit orders from Lord Neverember himself. They slid their letter under the door but the Guards would not open up. “There’s a riot in progress,” the Guard explained. “Some of the more violent patients are running wild and cathedral is on full lock down until order is restored. It’s for the safety of the people inside and outside.” The crowd gathered outside, who desperately wanted in, told the PCs to smash the door down and force their way inside, but calmer heads prevailed.

The PCs decided to see if there was a back entrance. The climbed a wall and proceeded to check the grounds. The crowd saw the PCs climbed the wall and decided to follow. The PCs didn’t want the company so they hurried around back. When they found the back gate the Rogue quickly tried to open the lock but failed. The Hexblade, assisted by the frustrated Rogue, tried the lock and got it open. The mob was about to round the corner so the PCs burst inside as fast as possible and closed the doors behind them.

Inside they spotted three Guards. The Hexblade tried commanding the Guards to stand down, but they did not comply. With that, the party decided to attack and subdue them. With the fight underway, Vargas said “You keep them busy, I’m going to find my wife and make sure she’s safe.” He took off past the Guard taking an opportunity attack for his trouble as he bolted past them.

During the second round a door opened and from within the barracks a Mage appeared and engaged the party. The PCs could also her more Guards coming from the far hall. They did a great job of focusing fire and dropping one Guard at a time. The pesky Mage fell back into the barracks, closing the door and hunkering down. After a couple of rounds, once the PCs moved away from the door, the Mage reappeared and fired at them again. This time they made sure to knock him out before he could take refuge again.

After three Guards were down, the remaining Guards decided to fall back and retreat to the front gate. The party split up, three searched the barracks for any treasure or useful items while the other three proceeded. The Guards had readied actions and got free shots at the PCs brave enough to go ahead alone.

As the rest of the party finally joined the leaders, the front door burst open and a mob of people rushed inside the chapel. The PCs didn’t now who was hostile and who wasn’t so they had to wait for the villains to take shots at them and reveal themselves. Once that happened, it was a race to zero hit points.

The Adept managed to get five of the six PCs in his Insane Shriek (blast 3) twice, but in the end the party managed to take him down quickly. We ended with the party catching their breath near the front gate and will continue the exploration of the cathedral next week.

Thoughts

The party spent about an hour role-playing the events in Neverwinter before leaving for Helm’s Hold. There was almost no dice rolling, but everyone had a good time and it allowed them to really get into character.

During combat three PCs took the brunt of the damage while three remained unscathed. My dice were HOT and I rolled five crits, three on the Hexblade. He ended up 1 hit point away from his negative bloodied value before being revived. When he healed up after this week’s encounter he had 1 healing surge left for the next three encounters. The Rogue was in a similar boat with only 2 healing surges left.

In order to encourage exploration I photocopied the map and cut out each room. I only placed one room at a time as the PCs moved throughout the cathedral. In order to keep them out of the main hall I told them there were doors on either side. I couldn’t see another way to keep them out until next week and I certainly didn’t want to merge the two combat encounters.

Based on a suggestion from Erik Scott de Bie himself on the Wizards’ forums, I decided to have Vargas accompany the party to Helm’s Hold rather than just say he was already there. This seemed to make more sense to me.

I noticed that this week’s combat encounter, although fun, wasn’t challenging. Most of the monster had defenses between 12 and 16. The strikers in my party have attack scores between +11 and +16. They hit on everything but a 1. It was silly. I could have just made the bad guys two hit minions since they seemed to fall after two hits. I don’t know if giving them higher defenses would have done anything more than drag out a combat that already lasted over an hour. I think fewer foes with considerably higher defense is what’s called for, and guess what, that’s what we have in the coming weeks. Good luck!

How did you find this week’s session? Was the fight nothing more than a resource sink for your group? Did anyone kill a PC? Any TPKs? Did any DMs have issues with players who couldn’t separate what they knew (about the map) from what their character knew? How did other DMs keep their players from exploring the Main Hall this week, especially those who came in the back gate?

Recounting Encounters Podcast

Recounting Encounters is a weekly podcast I record with fellow Toronto DM, Craig Sutherland, and Marc Talbot (Alton) from 20ft Radius in which we recount that week’s experiences with D&D Encounters. We share the highlights from our respective FLGS and we talk about what worked, what didn’t and what we might have done differently. Find all episodes of Recounting Encounters on iTunes.

• Recounting Encounters – Season 13, Episode 5

Actual Play Podcasts

We continue to record our D&D Encounters sessions and make them available to you for download every week. These recordings are made in a loud, crowded game store so at times it may be difficult to hear everyone. Some language may be inappropriate for all ages, although we try to keep it as family-friendly as possible.

Visit the Dungeon’s Master D&D Encounters Archive for all of our ongoing weekly coverage as well as other great D&D Encounters articles and resources.

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The Big Bang Theory (TBBT) has made nerds cool by thrusting them into the main stream. The show has shone a spotlight on many nerd hobbies people used to make fun of and made them cool, or at least less nerdy. In this week’s episode “The Love Spell Potential” they guys played Dungeons & Dragons with their girlfriends. This wasn’t the first time the characters in TBBT played D&D but it was the first time they played for the entire episode. Although there were a few cheap shots taken at D&D and the people who play the game, the show did a pretty good job of bringing the game into the public eye.

As a hard core D&D nerd and vocal member of the gaming community I feel it is my responsibility to comment on this episode of TBBT. There was a lot of things right with this show and a few things wrong. Gamers and non-gamers alike can learn a few things about D&D from what they saw in this episode. Let’s review the highlights.

• Wolowitz as DM

Although we’ve seen both Sheldon and Leonard DM in previous episodes, it seemed that Leonard is the groups primary DM. When he stepped aside to let Wolowitz try his hand at being the DM it made the other players (Sheldon in particular) nervous. In my group we all take turns being the DM. However for other groups one or two people shoulder the burden most of the time. I liked that, despite any misgivings, they still allowed Wolowitz to be DM. As is the case when I see a person DM for the first time, Wolowitz was clearly prepared and had put a lot of thought into his adventure right down to the voices for the NPC.

Changing DMs is good for the game. It allows experienced DMs to remember what it’s like to be a player. They can lead by examples and demonstrate the behaviour they want the others to emulate when they play. It’s also a good way for the group to get exposed to different play styles. Some DMs uses voices for NPC (like Wolowitz did) some don’t. Some DMs enjoy hack and slash; others prefer intrigue and political role-playing. The point is to encourage others to DM and hopefully everyone can learn from the experience.

• Girls in Gaming

Although I really liked this episode of TBBT, this was the only part that I felt missed the mark. Sheldon said “I’ve never played D&D with girls before,” to which Penny replied “Neither has anyone else.” It was an easy laugh by taking a cheap shot at the hobby. Way to perpetuate a negative stereotype. In truth I’ve played a lot of games with women. In the 13 season of D&D Encounters we’ve had girls participate almost every single week. I’m not going to get into the whole women in gaming debate other than to say there are plenty of female gamers and they have been for a long time. The show could have done a better job of selling the up sides of the game to new gamers, male and female alike, and not imply that the only girls who play are those reluctantly dragged into it by their desperate boyfriends. (See Stereotypical Gamers – Debunking the Myths.)

• The Ghost of Raj

As soon as Raj gets a message from his girlfriend that her plans changed and she’s free he ditches the guys and goes on a date. Wolowitz decides to have the ghost of Raj’s character offer advice to the party – nice save! First let me address the sudden departure. Real life happens. As my group has grown up and had families of their own real life commitments have required that they miss games or leave early. It happens. But short of an emergency once the players are at the table, it’s expected that you’ll stay and play. I’ve never had a guy leave for a booty call mid game but it would be severely frowned upon. I get that people have needs, but if you did that at my group I’d have a hard time asking you back again.

Let’s move on to the ghost of Raj. I like this idea and have used it often in my games. When a notable character dies (PC or NPC) I will use their ghost or spirit to warn the party or offer them advice. Sometimes they need to perform a ritual to do so, which can be a whole adventure in an of itself, other times I do it just like Wolowitz did it in the show. The other option is to have a former PC return and a major villain. This is a standard storytelling convention used often in fiction and in my campaigns. (See Hey, Isn’t That My Character: Using Retired PCs As NPCs.)

• Rolling Dice

It’s very rare that players don’t roll their own dice in D&D, but some groups and some games do work that way. It can make it easier for the players to immerse themselves in the game if they aren’t always stopping to roll dice. But as this episode showed, rolling dice is fun and for me that’s a big part of what I like about RPGs. (See Dice Rituals & Superstitions.)

• Magic Potions

I’ll admit that I’ve had a “potion” or two when playing D&D. I don’t usually drink alcohol when I play, but once in a while my home group will partake in a few bottles of beer when we play. The danger is that some players will be more focused on their drinking and pay less attention to their characters. As long as your group knows their limits a few drinks to loosen up the players usually meets with decent results at my home games. Drinking during a public game is, of course, a big no-no.

• Love in the Game

There are some things that we rarely, if ever, do in game – a relationship between two player characters is one of them. My home group is all guys and we’ve been friends for decades so when one of our characters makes a pass at another character it’s a humourous situation that’s laughed at. In public play games this can get really creepy and sometimes boarder on inappropriate behaviour. This is why some female gamers stop playing D&D. In a situation where two players are actually together in real life try to have their characters hook up it can be just as weird, as we saw in this episode of TBBT. I’ve seen this go all kinds of wrong in game and in real life. If couples want to role-play sex they should keep it in the bedroom (as Sheldon and Amy eventually did). No one wants to see or hear what your “characters” are doing to each other. This is especially true during a public play game (it’s sad that I have to state that but I’ve seen things that cannot be unseen).

• Funny and Serious

D&D is a game so it should be fun, but it does require a certain amount of seriousness. The key is balance. Wolowitz did a great job of keeping the players engaged and injected humour to keep them interested. Whether the DM uses voices or cracks jokes, humor and levity are important aspects of a good D&D adventure. Just remember that if things get too silly the game will derail, so know when to draw the line. (See Embracing the Silly Aspects of Fantasy Gaming.)

At the end of the day I was glad that TBBT once again had the characters in the show playing D&D. The way I see it this kind of national exposure is great for D&D. As I’ve already stated there were a few missteps, but overall I think they did a good job.

What were your thoughts on the episode The Love Spell Potential? Do you think it did a good job of portraying D&D or do you think too much time was spent laughing at the game rather than with the game? What would you have changed about this episode?

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On Friday we comb through our extensive archives to find an older article that we feel deserves another look. From June 20, 2011, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: D&D Math – Adding the Numbers.

Player – I rolled a 15, plus 7. Do I hit his AC?

DM – What’s the total?

Player – Um, hold on. 15… (Counts under breath) 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22. (At full volume again) 22! Does that hit?

DM – Yes it does. His AC is 14.

I’ve been playing a lot of public-play D&D over the past year; mostly D&D Encounters but also a fair amount of LFR. This is of course in addition to my regular weekly game. Playing in all of these games allows me to see how other people play and lets me learn from the experience. It also highlights problem areas in my game and in the game of the other players and DMs.

One disturbing trend that I’m seeing more and more is players that don’t (or possibly even can’t) do the math. They roll a d20, call out the result and then give me their modifiers and ask if they hit. In many cases the roll is high enough to beat the monster’s defences, so I know they hit even without the modifier added in; however, I always ask for the total before confirming a hit or miss. And it’s not only happening with attack rolls. It’ happens with damage rolls too.

As the DM I always try to keep the gaming moving. I have a lot of tricks and shortcuts I use at my table to ensure that the game run smoothly. But I feel that taking the time to get the players in the habit of doing the math is worth any minimal delays it may initially cause.

Before going on, I must admit that I have two exceptions to my “give me the total” rule. The first is when a player rolls a 20. After all a 20 always hits so the only reason to call out the total is when the monster has a really high defence and there’s an outside chance that it’s just a regular hit and not a crit. However, in the games I’ve played since 4e was released I’ve only ever seen a natural 20 not result in a crit once. The other exception is after the monsters defence score is known (usually because I’ve announced it to the table) and you’ve done the math in your head. In these cases I accept it when a player rolls, calls out the number, and simply tells me they hit.

Even though I always ask for totals, whether it’s an attack roll or a damage roll, a lot of players still don’t do it. In all fairness, we do have a few younger players participating in D&D Encounters – but this is simple math. I can’t believe they don’t give me the total because they can’t add two or three relatively small numbers in their head. What I think it comes down to is laziness and poor gaming protocol.

In most cases when there are a few players that don’t do the math themselves, other players at the table will often do it for them when I ask for the total. This presents me with difficult dilemma. On the one hand I’m glad that someone can do the math and give me a total quickly. However, the person giving me the number isn’t the player who rolled the dice. So my attempt to get them into the habit of giving me the final result clearly isn’t working. And when they realize that the other players will help them, they have no incentive to do it themselves.

When the other players help the lazy ones by doing the math, I know they’re just trying to help speed things up. I also know that the more I keep asking for the totals, especially when it’s apparent that the roll hits, the more I’m beginning to look like a jerk DM. But I believe that in the long run I’m helping the lazy players become better players, and I’m helping them speed up any game they’re going to play in down the road, whether it’s my game or someone else’s.

Do you have this problem at your gaming table? When players in your game (especially in public-play games) don’t add the numbers themselves, do you do it for them? Am I blowing this whole thing out of proportion and making a big deal out of nothing or do you see this as a common and growing issue?

Related reading:

• More Tips for Speeding Up Your Game
• The Gaming Jerk
• 10 Reminders for All D&D Players

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This week’s encounter was the culmination of events during a stormy night in Neverwinter. The previous three sessions had the PCs running around the streets of Neverwinter during the worst storm in the city’s history. They battled Ashmadai Cultists, stopped a kidnapping, and last week battled literal devils at the Beached Leviathan tavern.

When we left the heroes at the end of the last session they heard the sounds of horns blasting throughout the city. The City Watch were signaling a call to arms as something big was happening in Neverwinter.

The PCs overheard a messenger tell nearby soldiers that the town was erupting into madness. People clearly not of their right mind were fighting and looting. Throw in some more Cultists to stir the pot and things were getting crazy in the streets.

This week we had a great turnout at Silver Snail in Toronto. We had three DMs and 20 players. Unfortunately there isn’t room to set up a fourth table or we could have easily split off and formed another group. Seeing the field already incredibly crowded a couple of the regulars who had other commitments opted to pass on the game leaving three tables of 6.

My table had a Wilden Cleric, Halfling Wizard, Human Warlock Hexblade [Harper theme], Drow Wizard, Deva Wizard, and Halfling Rogue [Dead Rat Deserter theme]. With three controllers I knew the combat this week was going to be challenging. I had no idea just how much so until we were in the thick of it.

As Neverwinter’s law enforcement officers scrambled to maintain order, the PCs were approached by a young, street-tough girl. She explained that she and her friends had seen the heroes in action and liked their style (especially the Rogue Dead Rat). She told the PCs that there was another group of people who were one step ahead of the PCs. They’d been at the docks and tavern just ahead of the party. Now they were off to kill someone – someone important. For only 50 gp she’d share this information with the PCs.

The Deva and Drow Wizards countered with an offer of 2 gp which was dismissed out of hand. The Rogue stepped in to conduct negotiations and managed to haggle the girl down to 25 gp. The girl described members of the Ashmadai cult and that she’d heard them say they planned to take out the merchant at his house. Some of her gang were following the others and she could lead the PCs to them if they hurried and left right now. They agreed and took off.

With the streets erupting in chaos the heroes found themselves torn between helping the locals and following the girl. They made a brief stop when they spotted some opportunists looting a shop. The Cleric used Diplomacy and the Deva Wizard Intimidate to convince them to back down.

A few blocks later the party was almost trampled by a runaway carriage, but the Cleric using Nature managed to get the horse under control while everyone else jumped or rolled to safety.

Crowds of combatants, some lucid, some not, blocked the party’s progress a few blocks later. The Halfling transformed into a rat and scurried through the masses. The Halfling Wizard crawled between legs. The Cleric and Drow Wizard climbed to a nearby rooftop and managed to get around the problem. The Hexblade and Deva Wizard used a combination of Intimidate and Diplomacy to work their way through the crowd.

By the time the PCs almost closed the gap between them and their quarry, they spotted one of the girl’s allies lying wounded in the street. She’d been burned by an Ashmadai Cultist. The Cleric rocked a Heal check to soothe her wounds and the Rogue said some kind words to bolster her courage making a stellar Diplomacy check. The wounded child pointed down the street explaining that the bad men had just gone around the corner.

The Rogue and two of the Wizard’s familiars snuck up to look around the next bend. They saw the Ashmadai Cultists smash their way into a nearby home. From within they heard the occupant cry out. “I am Elden Vargas, and this is my home. I offer you trespassers one chance to leave peaceably.” The Cultists laughed. “The Ashmadai punish those who stand against them. You made the wrong enemies, old man.”

The Wizards looking and listening to the situation through their familiars relayed this to the party and the rest of the PCs rushed the house.

The Hexblade, Halfling Wizard and Drow Wizard all moved towards the front door and attacked the nearest Cultist. “Ambush!” one of the Ashmadai called out. “Kill them!” cried another, believing the party to be Vargas’s reinforcement.

With three Wizards in the party the close quarters and target-rich environment allowed them to target a lot of the bad guys early in the combat. However, none of them managed to inflict a lot of damage. The controllers created multiple, overlapping zones (which was a nightmare to keep track of) that really slowed down combat.

I indicated to the players that there were numerous windows and a back door to Vargas’s home, but only the Cleric, unable to get in the crowded front door, decided to use the rear entrance.

In the first round I had Vargas make a mad dash upstairs. Over the next few rounds I sent three Cultists and the Devil up after him. The PCs made no effort to move upstairs until they’d dealt with all the monsters on the lower level.

The Rogue was unable to get combat advantage so he couldn’t use his sneak dice at all. The Cleric was the big striker for a couple of rounds blasting three enemies and rolling the maximum damage. An action point later and he dropped a Cultist. Unfortunately he was left alone by the rest of the party (still waiting at the front door) so he took three attacks. The Cultists dropped him to -10 hit points.

After many rounds of drawn out combat, the heroes finally managed to drop all but one enemy on the lower level. The last Cultist was down to 8 hit points. He was adjacent to the Rogue and the unconscious Cleric. He said to the Rogue, let me pass unmolested so I can flee. If you do I won’t kill your helpless ally. The Rogue took a second to consider the offer but made the opportunity attack. He rolled a 1. The Cultist attacked the Cleric as promised and rolled a 19. For the second time this season the Cleric was dead-dead. This time it wasn’t my fault, the Rogue shouldered the blame.

One of the Wizards fired a Magic Missile at the Cultist killing him. With no enemies on the ground floor the Deva Wizard decided that instead of rushing upstairs to help Vargas (who had been screaming for help for about 10 rounds) he decided to check for magic. Normally this takes a minute but I allowed it. He rolled really high. I told him he detected magic in the square where the toilet was. He interpreted this as a hidden monster or trap. So for the next two rounds the party used more resources to attack the hidden foe, despite one of them using a power that revealed the location of all hidden enemies that didn’t detect anyone.

Giving up, they finally went upstairs where the Devil and three Cultist were giving Vargas a sever beating. The Hexblade stopped at the top of the stairs blocking the path for the rest of the party. The Drow Wizard, realizing he couldn’t even get line of sight for a Magic Missile, went back to investigate the magic detected in the bathroom. He rolled a really high Arcana check which revealed that the toilet had a powerful enchantment on it to eliminate foul odors. The table got a good laugh at the idea that the Wizard’s sh!t didn’t stink and that they’d wasted so much time trying to figure out the source of magic detected.

Meanwhile upstairs the Rogue managed to shift in and attack the Cultists. The Hexblade teleported farther into the room with the first kill opening up the way for the rest of the party.

By this point we were over 2 hours into the session. Given the party’s lack of output it could have dragged on for another half hour or more. I let everyone take one final attack, using any remaining daily powers and then I called the fight. The PCs decided that they would have killed all the Cultists and the Devil so they had no opportunity to question anyone.

Vargas thanked the PC for their help. When they asked why he was targeted by the cult he explained he was once a War Wizard in Cormyr. He suspected that the Ashmadai wanted to take him out before he could interfere with their plans.

He offered the PCs a reward for their aid in the form of 300 gp each as well as four magic items (we rolled two neck items, armor and a weapon). Recognizing the Heroes of Neverwinter in the party he asked for their aid. His wife was subjected to a powerful curse and her sanity was broken. She’s in Helm’s Hold, a mental hospital, but Vargas hasn’t been allowed to see her lately. He asked the PCs to use their influence to get him in. They agreed.

Vargas asked the PCs to meet him at Helm’s Hold the following day, but for now he was badly wounded and needed the help of a Cleric. He parted ways with the heroes while they gathered their fallen comrade and returned to the Moonstone Mask inn to rest and level up.

Thoughts

The best part of this week’s session was the role-playing that the beginning. The mini scenarios were fun and my group got right into it. In retrospect I should have created a few more and spent more time on this. The combat was really slow, mainly because the party lacked good strikers.

I tried to pull some of the PCs to the second level by clearly having the monsters go up the stairs during the fight, but no one took the bait. The overlapping zones were kind of crazy, but that’s what happens when people play controllers.

This week’s encounter seemed a lot like last week’s encounter in that it was closed quarters, two levels, and lots of monsters. The players liked that there were so many enemies to attack, but the absences of minions just made things last forever.

Overall I found this whole chapter seemed like a huge railroad where the PCs didn’t really have many choices and the things they did didn’t seem to have any bearing on what came next. After a few stellar seasons of D&D Encounters that tried new things, this season seems to have fallen back to the regular formula of show up, sit down, kill monsters, go home.

I like that PCs are higher levels but everyone (monsters and PCs) have a lot more hit points which makes the fights take a lot longer. I think I might reduce hit points and increase the monster damage output. This will see the monsters drop faster but they will still force the PCs to expend resources to avoid hits or heal quickly after getting hit.

Despite my criticisms of the first chapter I think the second chapter will more than make up for any shortcomings. I’ve been reading ahead and players should really like where the adventure goes next.

How did things go this week at your FLGS? What do the players think of how the story is progressing? What are your thoughts on chapter one as a whole?

Ask the Author

Next week we’ll be interviewing Erik Scott de Bie, the author of this season’s adventure. If there’s anything you’d like us to ask him, let us know in the comments below. You can also send me an email (Ameron at dungeonmaster dot com) or a Tweet (@ameron_dm).

Recounting Encounters Podcast

Recounting Encounters is a weekly podcast I record with fellow Toronto DM, Craig Sutherland, and Marc Talbot (Alton) from 20ft Radius in which we recount that week’s experiences with D&D Encounters. We share the highlights from our respective FLGS and we talk about what worked, what didn’t and what we might have done differently. Find all episodes of Recounting Encounters on iTunes.

• Recounting Encounters – Season 13, Episode 4

Actual Play Podcasts

We continue to record our D&D Encounters sessions and make them available to you for download every week. These recordings are made in a loud, crowded game store so at times it may be difficult to hear everyone. Some language may be inappropriate for all ages, although we try to keep it as family-friendly as possible.

Visit the Dungeon’s Master D&D Encounters Archive for all of our ongoing weekly coverage as well as other great D&D Encounters articles and resources.

Follow @ameron_dm

Looking for instant updates? Subscribe to the Dungeon’s Master feed!

On Friday we comb through our extensive archives to find an older article that we feel deserves another look. Today’s Friday Favourite is a special case. When we were still a fledgling site we did some guest posts for other gaming blogs. The first was an article on Reputation for The Core Mechanic. Unfortunately the site is now defunct and our article is no longer available. Until now. From April 6, 2009, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: Reputation (Part 1).

Reputation is everything in D&D. Even level 1 characters have a reputation. It may only be a reputation for being eager to prove themselves, but it’s enough to get them noticed. What the PCs do today will have a direct impact on the opportunities afforded them tomorrow. Every adventure will add to their reputation and will impact how NPCs view them. It’s up to the DM to use reputation to enhance the overall game.

This is the first of three articles examining reputation. Part 1 is aimed at the DM and provides direction for using reputation to its fullest potential. Reputation (part 2) and Reputation (part 3) are aimed at the players and provides insight on how the PCs can shape their own reputation and gain the most benefit from doing so. Look for Part 2 and Part 3 at Dungeon’s Master in the days to come.

Many DMs and players overlook or underestimate the importance of reputation in D&D. The DM should use the past deeds of the PCs to shape new storylines. The PCs are supposed to be the best of the best. What they do and how they do it will be closely observed. People will want to hear what kind of creatures they’ve fought, what kind of treasures they’ve accumulated and what they plan to do next. In essence, the PCs are celebrities and should be treated as such.

Reputation – The DMs Perspective

When the PCs visit new villages, towns and cities, there should be a chance that someone there has heard of them. If the PCs are just starting out, the likelihood of being recognized is minimal. As the PCs earn XP and gain levels, news of their heroics will spread and people will start talking. The PCs are recognized more and more often. This can be helpful in some scenarios and detrimental in others. As nice as it is to be famous, there will be times when the PCs just want their privacy. As the reputation of the PCs grows, the DM should apply suitable modifiers as conditions demand.

Positive Reputation

The PCs are heroes and everyone knows it. Their accomplishments are the subject of bard song and legend. Their vast wealth and power are key reasons for their positive reputation. Everyone wants to know more about the PCs. Everyone wants to meet them. The PCs are the points of light in the darkness and all attention is focused on them.

In general, people will open their doors to welcome the PCs. Important figures who may not normally be willing to meet with them are curious, or experience a change of heart and take the opportunity to ride the PC’s coattails. Perhaps a few admirers are genuinely interested in just being their friend.

These skills may be enhanced by a positive reputation.

• Bluff: The greater the reputation, the more likely those listening will accept what they’ve been told.
• Diplomacy: Social encounters are a breeze. People are fascinated with the PCs and will forgive many social blunders.
• Streetwise: Anything the PCs ask is answered.

Being famous does have its pitfalls. If the PCs have earned a reputation that tells of their affinity for all things good and righteous, then attempts to infiltrate the criminal element may meet with harsh resistance. Fame can also be regional depending on the reason for a positive reputation. War heroes will be celebrities in their home country, but may be scorned by their neighbours.

These skills may be more difficult because of a positive reputation.

• Insight: Everyone wants to meet the PCs and when they do, they want to be remembered. There will be so many people spinning so many tales that it may be difficult to tell the truth from the lies.
• Stealth: How do you go unnoticed when you’re famous? It’s possible, but a lot more difficult.

No one is famous forever. The DM should present plenty of opportunities for the PCs to hurt their own reputation. If they choose to do stupid things without thinking of long-term consequences, then it’s their own fault. Just remember to offer opportunities for redemption if the PCs begin to fall.

Negative Reputation

The PCs have run into some bad luck of late. Perhaps they didn’t defeat the Dragon that threatened the local village, they only wounded it. After the PCs left, the Dragon returned and took out his anger on the innocent townsfolk. Suddenly, the PCs are infamous; everybody knows them, but for all the wrong reasons.

There are very few benefits to being hated or despised. If the PCs have caused a lot of collateral damage as they’ve travelled the realm, then they may be turned away when they reach the city gates. People are less likely to talk to them or be outright hostile. Important figures may refuse to meet with them under any circumstances.

These skills may be enhanced by a negative reputation.

• Bluff: Since people already think the worst of you, any attempt to play up that angle may garner success.
• Intimidate: People probably expect you to be mean and hateful. A small show of force, or even a small threat of force, may go a long way to getting what you want.

These skills may be more difficult because of a negative reputation.

• Diplomacy: Nobody wants to risk association with you. Good luck finding people to treat you fairly.
• Streetwise: It’s unlikely that people will want to share any information with you. If they do, be suspicious.

In general if the PCs have a negative reputation they should do something quickly to try and remedy the problem. It’s up to the DM to present opportunities for the PCs to prove themselves. The size of the task should be left up to the PCs. Let them decide if they want to take baby steps or if they want to try and fix things with one grand gesture.

Unearned Reputation

An unearned reputation has potential to be the most fun and the most dangerous. This could be something as simple as a mistaken identity. The PCs match the description of another group of heroes and are mistaken for them. Perhaps the PCs stumbled across the site of a great battle and a witness assumed they were the ones responsible for the victory. There are many possibilities, none of them good for the PCs – at least in the long run. The short-term gains are the same as any other positive reputation. But when the truth comes out (and it always does) then the PCs will go from famous to infamous in a heartbeat.

The idea of an unearned reputation has the most appeal to me personally as a DM. It forces the PCs to decide if the benefits of accepting an unearned reputation are worth it. This scenario provides the DM with the perfect opportunity to begin new adventure hooks, introduce new NPCs and set the foundation for the long-term campaign.

If the PCs adopt the persona of the party they are mistaken for, it could have negative consequences. Here are a few ideas of how to make life difficult (or at the very least, interesting) for the PCs if they decide to accept an unearned reputation.

• The real heroes may be wanted criminals in a neighbouring country.
• An item the PCs are supposed to have is needed but obviously unavailable.
• Past debts owed by the true heroes may be called in by a powerful Wizard.
• A pregnant woman may demand the baby’s father marry her.
• The heroes who actually earned the reputation may show up.

The possibilities are truly limited only by the DM’s imagination. In the end you want the scales to be balanced. Just because the PCs indulge when they’re not entitled doesn’t mean that the punishment should be too detrimental. The DM should always provide opportunities for the PCs to make things right. It doesn’t have to be easy, but it should be possible.

Conclusion

It’s up to the DM and players to decide if reputation will impact their game at all. Using reputation shouldn’t be mandatory and shouldn’t have any adverse affects if the PCs don’t want to worry about it. In the end everyone should agree to what extent, if any, reputation has in your game.

Related reading:

• Reputation (part 2)
• Reputation (part 3)

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Last week the PCs rescued the kidnapped son of Lady Nadris. This week they continue their search for “The Tormentor,” the man in the devil mask who is apparently behind the rash of kidnappings in Neverwinter, including the one the PCs foiled last week. To sweeten the pot, Lord Neverember has offered a 10,000 gp reward for anyone who captures the person or persons responsible for the kidnappings.

This week’s recap follows the group at Harry T North in Toronto. We’ve had just enough people to run two solid tables for months, but the addition of two brand new players pushed us to 13 this week. With only two DMs ready to run the session we ended up with a table of six and another with seven. I played with the larger group and helped the two newbies.

The party consisted of a Tiefling Ardent, Human Assassin, Tiefling Warlock, Wilden Wizard, Goliath Monk (my character), and the two new players used the pre-gens Eboncross the Shade Wizard and Gardain the Dwarf Fighter.

At the beginning of the session the players were a bit confused about where to go and what to do. The DM reminded us that the kidnappers had obviously been spending time around the docks and that there might be clues beyond what was discovered at their hideout last week. With the storm still raging on the PCs decided to go where people might be gathering to escape the inclement weather – a tavern. The Beached Leviathan was near the bandit’s hideout and seemed like the perfect place to start.

One by one the PCs entered the tavern and engaged some of the patrons in conversation. The Warlock spoke with the tavern owner Captain Harrag, the Shade Wizard spoke with the first mate Andrella, the Wilden Wizard embarrassed himself by asking absurdly direct and inappropriate questions of a couple of off-duty dock workers, the Ardent wandered all the way to the bow of the tavern and tried to talk to a man sitting alone but got nowhere, the Fighter and Monk went upstairs where they spoke with a very shy potter with a low tolerance for alcohol and a few more off-duty dock workers. The Assassin spoke with Mintarn Captain Horan who arrived at the tavern just behind the PCs.

All in all they learned four key facts about people who were kidnapped. Each a different sign that their minds were broken during their ordeal.

1. Victims seemed to have a nervous twitch or stare blankly at people.
2. Victims act tough but are easily bullied.
3. Victims have been overheard babbling about devils.
4. Victims seem mentally week upon their return.

After a couple rounds of chit-chat (which took a long time with the party of seven), Horan gathered a few of the nearby PCs and expressed his gratitude for their part in rescuing Lady Nidris’s son. He then asked (more like demanded) that the PCs stop their investigation and leave it to Neverember’s soldiers. His rationale was that it was too dangerous for regular people to be involved in something so dangerous and unpredictable.

Before the PCs could react to Horan’s request a burly man pushed his way past the Captain and the adjacent PCs. He moved towards the front doors where he calmly locked and barred them. Horan began to object to this man’s actions but the stranger shot him with a ray of magical cold. Horan fell to the floor, skin icy blue and lifeless. The man pulled back his hood to reveal his true nature as a blue-skinned Devil. At the far end of the Beached Leviathan another Devil, this one with red skin seemed to appear out of nowhere.

The PCs on the lower level sprang into action. The Warlock, Assassin and Shade Wizard immediately engaged the Blue Devil. The Ardent and Wilden Wizard engaged the Red Devil. The Blue Devil had a tough time hitting his foes, but the Red Devil easily hit the Ardent. As the wounded PC tried to move into a better position, one of the patrons took an opportunity attack shouting “Kill them all!” as he swung and hit him.

Upstairs the Dwarf and Monk heard the sound of panic and fighting coming from the lower level. The Dwarf took a double move to charge down the stairs and put himself in the middle of the fighting where his Defender’s Aura would be most helpful. Unfortunately he too suffered an opportunity attack from a patron who shouted “For the Tormentor” as she swung but missed him. The Monk used his superior Acrobatics to swing off the upper deck and smash through a window on the lower level. When he entered the fray he smacked one of the dominated patrons hard enough to bloody him.

The fight continued downstairs with the heroes giving it to the Devils and dominated patrons pretty good. One more patron on the lower level revealed himself and attacked the already wounded Ardent while his friends continued attacking the nearest PC.

Upstairs the PCs heard screams and fighting. The Wilden Wizard rushed up to help. When he arrived he saw a dominated patron attacking the other customers. One was already on the ground unconscious. The Monk, using a power that granted him limited flight, went out the window and flew back up to the top deck where he immediately engaged the dominated patron in melee.

The Shade Wizard saw that the Assassin and Warlock had the Blue Devil clearly under control so he helped the Ardent and Fighter by using powers that targeted all three enemies. The Fighter risked an opportunity attack (which missed) in order to engage the Red Devil one on one. He stepped in and scored a natural 20. He added Power Strike and rolled max on his extra magic weapon dice. One hit 35 damage. Seeing the Red Devil was badly wounded he used his action point which resulted in another hit. He easily destroyed the monster. Certainly an exciting introduction to D&D for the new player.

At the top of the round the PCs could hear someone on the outside of the door banging to be let in. The Assassin opened the door with a little effort and three soldiers joined the fray. At first they mistook the two Tiefling PCs as Devils but the other PCs used Diplomacy to convince the soldiers that the PCs were friendly.

Upstairs the Wilden Wizard and Monk only needed one more round to dispatch the dominated patron. Downstairs the Shade Wizard targeted two of the dominated patrons, scoring a crit on one. The DM suggested the Wizard use his action point so he fired a Magic Missile on the bloodied enemy. It did exactly enough damage to drop him. The new players were the only ones to score crits this week.

The Tiefling, having used his second wind, managed to get back into the fight and take down one of the remaining dominated patrons. The Warlock easily took out the badly wounded Blue Devil who didn’t really seem all that menacing the way the DM was rolling.

The soldiers managed to establish order in the Beached Leviathan and calmed the remaining patrons. The owner, Captain Harrag, expressed his gratitude to the PCs but asked that they leave before they caused any more damage. Some of the PCs tried to revive the fallen Captain Horan but the icy ray from the Blue Devil killed him instantly.

As the PCs stepped outside they heard the sharp sounds of Watch horns. They saw a small group of Mintarn soldiers gather around a winded courier nearby. Next week they’ll find out what message he delivered to the soldiers.

Thoughts

This encounter was challenging because there was limited space and lots of NPCs/monsters on the map. I was glad that our DM encouraged some PCs to go to the second deck, otherwise it would have been a much more difficult and slow combat. I tried to encourage the other players to take advantage of the terrain and try something unexpected, like jumping through a window, but no one was interested.

The starting positions of the PCs made a huge difference this week. The poor Ardent happened to be surrounded by three enemies when the fighting began, whereas the Blue Devil was surrounded by three PCs. The PCs upstairs had to spend a full round getting into the fight. The presence of so many innocent bystanders made it difficult for the controllers to use their best powers for fear of hitting an innocent NPC. The defenders rocked because they could really lock down the hostile creatures and allow the other NPCs and PCs move around without suffering an opportunity attack.

The role-playing at the beginning of the session didn’t really work all that well for our group. The players felt that the information learned wasn’t anything more than they already knew. No one drew any of the conclusions the adventure assumes in the text. Just because kidnapping victims happened to talk about Devils doesn’t mean the PCs should expect two to show up on the next round. None of the players realized that “left mentally weakened” meant they have really low Will defenses so attack that if you can.

This was another week where a lot of the players just felt it was a resource drain and didn’t really move the plot forward. It was fun to play but I have to agree that as a player the situation seemed really forced. The two things that stuck out for me was that the PCs had to go to this tavern (I didn’t understand why) and that the Mintarn Captain was killed by the Blue Devil without any chance to save him.

One of the players felt cheated that both Devils had resist 10 fire since all of his powers had the fire key word. We suggested he attack the dominated patrons but he didn’t think his character would do that when a bigger threat was present. He instead tried to Intimidate the Devils knowing that from a mechanics perspective he wouldn’t be able to since they were hostile and not bloodied. Good life lesson, always carry a dagger, crossbow or some other backup weapon just in case creatures have high resistances.

Fortunately half of the party managed to get through this week’s adventure without taking any damage so that really helped since so many of us were down to our last few healing surges.

How did this week’s encounter go at your FLGS? Did you have problems with overcrowding? How did you resolve them? Did you use both levels of the tavern during the combat? Did anyone try zany or nontraditional actions because of the unusual locale? Did any parties suffer any losses?

Recounting Encounters Podcast

Recounting Encounters is a weekly podcast I record with fellow Toronto DM, Craig Sutherland, and Marc Talbot (Alton) from 20ft Radius in which we recount that week’s experiences with D&D Encounters. We share the highlights from our respective FLGS and we talk about what worked, what didn’t and what we might have done differently. Find all episodes of Recounting Encounters on iTunes.

• Recounting Encounters – Season 13, Episode 3

Actual Play Podcasts

We continue to record our D&D Encounters sessions and make them available to you for download every week. These recordings are made in a loud, crowded game store so at times it may be difficult to hear everyone. Some language may be inappropriate for all ages, although we try to keep it as family-friendly as possible.

Visit the Dungeon’s Master D&D Encounters Archive for all of our ongoing weekly coverage as well as other great D&D Encounters articles and resources.

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At the end of every month since we started Dungeon’s Master we provided a Month in Review recap of everything we ran that month. When we were running new articles every day the Month in Review was need to ensure that our loyal readers didn’t miss any of the great stuff we were providing. However, over the past year we’ve published fewer articles each month and the Month in Review posts were a bit sparse. When the blog reached its fourth birthday we decided to make a change and stop running the Month in Review. Instead we decided from that point forward we’d do a Quarterly Review. Our first quarter of 2013 ran from February 1 – April 30.

Today we collect all the articles we ran over the past three months, group them by category, and share the links with you. It’s exactly like the way we used to do the Month in Review.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who visited Dungeon’s Master over the past three months. It’s your loyalty and your comments that keep us going. We welcome your feedback and encourage you to share your thoughts in the comments, by email, or on Twitter.

Highlights

Dungeon’s Master

• On February 1, 2013, we reached a very significant and impressive milestone, the website’s fourth birthday (see State of the Dungeon – Year 4).
• In April Dungeon’s Master joined the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. It was a lot of work and a lot of fun. Those articles have been included in the round-up below and in the post we ran eariler today (see The Blogging from A to Z Challenge – Dungeon’s Master Round-up.)
• As part of the A to Z Challenge we ran an article about how we came up with the name for our blog that you might enjoy (Dungeon’s Master – What’s in a Name?).

DM Resources

• Cat Lord
• Eberron A to Z
• Nightmares & Dreamscapes – An Adventure Hook
• Resurrection
• Terrain to Challenge Epic Characters
• The United Nations… of Monsters
• Venger
• What is the Town’s Attitude?
• Yawning Portal
• The Xanathar
• Zombies: Breathing Life into an Overused Undead

Player Resources

• The Art of D&D (Part 3)
• Giving & Tithing in D&D
• Heroic Archetypes – What Kind of Hero Are You?
• Interviewing for Party Members
• The Justice League of America (JLA) as D&D Characters
• Karma in Gaming
• Monsters as Player Characters
• Optimize For Best Results
• Quirks and Memorable Character Traits
• Stereotypical Gamers – Debunking the Myths
• 6 Ws of Character Creation
• Your Character’s Psychological Profile

Public Play

Although we usually talk about D&D Encounter and Lair Assault when we refer to public play, we did have a few articles that focused on a few other topics during the past three months.

• Board Games
• Public Play
• Fourthcore Team Deathmatch – Toronto Tournament & 10 FTDM Character Optimization Tips

D&D Encounters

Visit the Dungeon’s Master D&D Encounters Archive for all of our ongoing weekly coverage as well as other great D&D Encounters articles and resources.

Storm Over Neverwinter (Season 13)

• D&D Encounters: Storm Over Neverwinter – Preview
• D&D Encounters: Storm Over Neverwinter (Week 1)
• D&D Encounters: Storm Over Neverwinter (Week 2)

Against the Cult of Chaos (Season 12)

• D&D Encounters: Against the Cult of Chaos – Report Card
• D&D Encounters: Against the Cult of Chaos (Week 1)
• D&D Encounters: Against the Cult of Chaos (Week 2)
• D&D Encounters: Against the Cult of Chaos (Week 3)
• D&D Encounters: Against the Cult of Chaos (Week 4)
• D&D Encounters: Against the Cult of Chaos (Week 5)
• D&D Encounters: Against the Cult of Chaos (Week 6)
• D&D Encounters: Against the Cult of Chaos (Week 7)
• D&D Encounters: Against the Cult of Chaos (Week 8.)
• Recounting Encounters with Against the Cult of Chaos author Shawn Merwin

Lair Assault

Although the Lair Assault program is ending this month (and we are certainly sad to see it go), we provided a preview, round up and numerous podcasts over the past three months.

• It’s Here! – Lair Assault: Into the Pit of Madness
• Lair Assault: Into the Pit of Madness – Round-up
• Lair Assault: Round-Up and Podcasts
• Lair Assault and D&D Encoutners Tokens

Friday Favourites

In February we started a new feature here at Dungeon’s Master the Friday Favourite. Once a week we comb through our extensive archives to find an older article that we feel deserves another look. Here are the articles we featured in February and March.

• Friday Favourite: 5 Reasons to Say No
• Friday Favourite: 10 Good Reasons to Play D&D
• Friday Favourite: Always Train Your Worst Skills
• Friday Favourite: DM Tips for Restarting a Retired Campaign
• Friday Favourite: Gaming in Silence
• Friday Favourite: How Art Inspires Campaigns
• Friday Favourite: How Observation Changes Characters’ Behaviour

A Look Ahead

Normally in this section we’d share some for the ideas for article that we’re working on for the upcoming month. After completing the A to Z Challenge I’m completely tapped out. I have no idea what’s to come. During the next quarter we’ll have the weekly D&D Encounters field reports, coverage of the upcoming D&D Game Day on June 15, and news on the 2013 GenCon.

This week the Dungeon’s Master crew just started play testing D&D Next so I’m sure that experience will provide us with inspiration for plenty of great articles over the next few months that will be applicable to any edition of D&D. Be sure to visit Dungeon’s Master regularly to ensure you don’t miss anything.

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The 2013 Blogging from A to Z Challenge is over and we made it! We managed to get an article out every day in April (excluding Sundays) that began with a different letter of the alphabet. It was a lot of work (more than I expected), but in the end we did it.

Now that it’s over I wanted to provide a list of all the articles in one place. We managed to produce a lot of great articles in April and I wouldn’t want any of our readers to miss out. Below I’ve provided links to all 26 articles listed alphabetically from A to Z.

I would like to thank Wimwick (Neil Ellis) and Alton (Marc Talbot) for both contributing to Dungeon’s Master during the A to Z Challenge. I don’t think I could have got all the articles out on time without your help. Thanks, guys.

I’m also particularly proud that in addition to getting the 26 A to Z posts up, we also provided our usual weekly D&D Encounters field reports. All told, we published more articles in April than we did in January, February, and March combined. Needles to say I’m exhausted. But I’m already looking forward to doing it again next year.

Before we get into the Dungeon’s Master round up I wanted to give a shout out to a few of other great gaming blogs that participated in the A to Z Challenge.

• Big Ball of No Fun – Featured a different shop with each post.
• Tower of the Archmage – Featured a new monster with each post.
• ROFL Initiative - Featured an excellent new map with each post.
• The Adventurer’s Tomb – This is a brand new gaming blog by Dungeon Masters, for Dungeon Masters. Check it out.

The Blogging from A to Z Challenge
Dungeon’s Master Round-up

1. The Art of D&D (Part 3)
2. Board Games
3. Cat Lord
4. Dungeon’s Master – What’s in a Name?
5. Eberron A to Z
6. Fourthcore Team Deathmatch – Toronto Tournament & 10 FTDM Character Optimization Tips
7. Giving & Tithing in D&D
8. Heroic Archetypes – What Kind of Hero Are You?
9. Interviewing for Party Members
10. The Justice League of America (JLA) as D&D Characters
11. Karma in Gaming
12. Lair Assault: Into the Pit of Madness – Round-up
13. Monsters as Player Characters
14. Nightmares & Dreamscapes – An Adventure Hook
15. Optimize For Best Results
16. Public Play
17. Quirks and Memorable Character Traits
18. Resurrection
19. Stereotypical Gamers – Debunking the Myths
20. Terrain to Challenge Epic Characters
21. The United Nations… of Monsters
22. Venger
23. 6 Ws of Character Creation
24. The Xanathar
25. Yawning Portal
26. Zombies: Breathing Life into an Overused Undead

Did you have a favourite? Any ideas on a theme we can cover next year?

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