Thinking Critically: A D&D Discussion

"A crazy babble of death and anteaters." My good friend of 20 years, Jamie Mitchell, joins me to talk about all the mistakes we've made on our parallel journey to DM-hood. How these mistakes have shaped us and the mitigation strategies we take to ensure everyone continues to have fun. This one get's real crazy in the last 10 minutes so stick with it as you may not have heard such a segue from D&D into hentai before, and if anyone says I couldn't fight an anteater, they're lying! 02:15 - A game of happy accidents 04:08 - Player mistakes - creation & mitigation 28:28 - DM mistakes - embarrassing coverups 69:12 - Narrative fluidity to change mistakes into opportunities Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod

This time I'm joined by Simon Eustace, and this episode is chock full of life lessons; you're going to come out the other side a better human being. Simon brings his four years of experience of playing unique D&D characters, and is my table-buddy in our Dungeons, Dice, and Dudes real play podcast (of which this episode is full of spoilers for). We talk about what makes each of us happy, and how to be happier both at and away from the gaming table. Donate to Simon's Movember! https://uk.movember.com/mospace/14460089 P.S. See if you can spot my sneaky audio addition in post! 02:06 - Happiness: the goal of D&D 05:29 - Is player happiness intrinsically tied to their character? 16:13 - What makes us happy 23:18 - Unhappiness sandwich 35:45 - What makes a DM happy 46:00 - Player character happiness 55:52 - Non-player character happiness 63:02 - What to do if you're not happy Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod

The second international episode! I'm joined by Howie, a.k.a the Blue Collar DM, and hooo boy do we hit some big topics. Everything from representing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, to how to role play earnestly, and staying honest to yourself. 03:47 - DM Facilitation of party role composition 12:56 - Class stereotypical roles 23:48 - How the role of the DM differs from the players 28:34 - Disassociation and 'my guy' syndrome 39:14 - Ebb & flow 43:01 - Presumptions of role playing classes 48:02 - The role of NPCs 62:30 - Sincere role playing and earnest characters Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod

A landmark episode! I'm joined by Karim, a.k.a FeverDreamStudios, and we get real deep into the design of D&D. How it's designed, how to design for it, and ways that PCs and DMs can design around and with each other. Too many nuggets of wisdom to list here, if I do say so myself! 01:49 - The design of Fifth Edition 08:26 - How PHB design affect player expectations 16:59 - How to start homebrewing 22:18 - Magic in a homebrew setting 31:35 - Designing adventures 39:05 - Integrating PC backstories 43:12 - Designing antagonists 52:30 - Avatar and alignments 57:00 - Designing social encounters Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod

In this first of a two-parter, Ian Langton and I discuss how the "experience" of Dungeons & Dragons has shifted, not only since earlier editions, but also as the players mature. Ways to get "good" experience, and how differing levels of play experience can dramatically impact the moment-to-moment gameplay. 03:04 - What makes a fun experience 06:44 - How the DM experience has changed 15:25 - Difficulties of DM'ing 25:33 - How DM experience shapes player experience 33:45 - Good ways to get more experience 52:54 - The DM "experience" 59:55 - Anecdotal evidence Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod Reference to 'The Elfish Gene: Dungeons, Dragons and Growing Up Strange' by Mark Barrowcliffe

Jack Wain and I discuss what "ability" means within the 5e context. We take a look at what makes an effective player and how those skills are transferable to being a successful DM. We discuss ability skills and how some, such as the oft derided Animal Handling, get a bad rap through no fault of their own. This episode's Big Question is ability modifiers: big box or small box? 00:01:41 - How to determine player ability 00:08:58 - Signifiers of a good DM 00:20:40 - Ability scores 00:40:59 - Dissonance between player and character ability 00:50:36 - Improvisation in published adventures 00:55:26 - Impact of score simplification over earlier editions 01:00:30 - Big box or little box? Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod Reference to The Monsters Know What They're Doing by Keith Ammann.

Rob McPerhson and I discuss how "conflict" is an intrinsic part of the D&D experience; constructive and destructive conflict between PCs, but also how every PC requires an internalised conflict pushing them to adventure. We cover a few tools for resolving conflict both at the table and away from it, and how "my guy" syndrome can quickly and easily ruin an otherwise good game. Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod

Podcast trailer for Thinking Critically: A D&D Discussion. A discussion show with different guests each episode. We take a single concept or idea and discuss what that means within the D&D framework to help you get the most out your sessions, whatever side of the screen you sit on. Consider it an NPR-style, bitesize mix of thought-provoking analysis and humorous anecdotes! Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod