Thinking Critically: A D&D Discussion

For this extremely meta episode, I'm joined by producer and host of the Chafing Armor actual play podcast, Michael Corley. This one is light on actual D&D content, so please bare that in mind! Anyway, Michael and I discuss the finer points of the post-production process for Dungeons & Dragons podcasts, be they APs or chat shows. "Editing", for all it's connotations and bells & whistles, is often synonymous with "clarity", that is of both the quality and content. Despite all the mechanical baggage of audio editing (truncating silence, equalisers, noise reduction, etc.), a large part of it is uniquely human; a sixth sense. Know when to leave the filler sounds in, knowing when to leave a pregnant silence, knowing which bloopers actually add to the experience, these are things only a human can do, and no amount of automation or AI can craft the kind of audio experience you want to hear. The editor has, in some ways, more power than the DM: they can alter history, paint a character as a hero or villain, and completely change the emotion of a scene. With great power... 01:24 - The Quality Dichotomy 13:11 - Editing D&D Content 44:54 - Telltale Footprints 53:36 - The Power of the Editor Find Michael (@chafingarmor) on: Website: https://chafingarmor.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/chafingarmor Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chafingarmor/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chafingarmor/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVp7JOI4jLSCSN5JYh3eUkA TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chafingarmor Find me on: Website: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThinkCritDnD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinking_critically_dnd/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkingCriticallyDnD YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_BSgazjwyshzo1jazHeaQ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thinkingcritically Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/thinkingcritically References: Levelator (CNet download) BBC Sound Effect Library 'Podcasts' episode of Thinking Critically Patreons: @mpstreet88 Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod

This episode features the "Bard Killer" Seven from the 7th Roll podcast, and we talk all about the concept of death in our Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. We coin the phrase "murderhobo DM"; a DM who is more than comfortable with putting the PCs through some rough and tumble situations where death is a possibility. This can sometimes be at odds with a preciousness found in players who are attached to their characters, but if everyone is on board, this push and pull can make for great role play moments! One classic cause of PC death is player knowledge, or lack thereof. The player doesn't know everything their character does, and vice versa. As a DM, where should you step in to ensure this doesn't result in any untimely deaths just because of the unglamorous reason of miscommunication; where is the line in the sand? Ultimately, every kind of death in a TTRPG, not limited to the PCs, can and should be used to motivate role play. 01:36 - The Cost of Dying 17:07 - Should Player Knowledge Lead to Character Death? 24:57 - The Heroism of Fifth Edition 34:55 - Anticlimactic and Unsatisfying Deaths 45:38 - Alternative Resurrection Rules 55:52 - TPKs Find Seven (@7thRoll) on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/7thRoll YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3z_2iXa3yHWySDbhBu7DGQ Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/7throll Find me on: Website: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThinkCritDnD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinking_critically_dnd/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkingCriticallyDnD YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_BSgazjwyshzo1jazHeaQ References: 'Slient Knight' homebrew by High Level Games Pathfinder: Kingmaker Solasta: Crown of the Magister Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod

For this inspirational episode I'm joined by Russel E Welch III, owner of Lingering Shadows Productions and Dungeon Master for their Spawn of Chaos actual-play series. Inspiration is about bringing something exemplary, be that from yourself or your character, and being able to promote harness that inspiration is of critical importance. But before we get to the philosophical, we first talk mechanical. We've found players often hoard their re-rolls, for various reasons. This is perhaps a hangover from video game tropes, or due to confusion as to about what it allows you to do and when. Bardic Inspiration, Inspiration, and the Lucky feat are all similar but different in a few very specific areas, and it's a minefield for new players when trying to parse exactly what they're allowed to do. The flip side of that is coaching players through that learning process can make Game Masters almost feel like proud parents - it's an inspiration feedback loop where the players provide for the GM and the GM provides for the players. Much inspiration comes from within, and finding a safe and comfortable place to not only be creative, but share the fruits of those efforts is a difficult but worthwhile journey. One you never truly finish. 05:36 - Hoard Mentality 10:37 - Overlooked Rules to TTRPG Boons 29:19 - Inspiring Players 44:37 - Inspiring Yourself Find Russel (@R_E_W_III) on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/R_E_W_III Spawn of Chaos: https://www.chaosawaits.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spawnofchaosdnd/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpawnofChaos YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/spawnofchaos TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thespawnofchaos?lang=en Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/spawnofchaosdnd Find me on: Website: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThinkCritDnD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinking_critically_dnd/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkingCriticallyDnD YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_BSgazjwyshzo1jazHeaQ References: 'Agency' episode of Thinking Critically 'Growth' episode of Thinking Critically Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod

This episode I'm joined by Mike "The Birdman" Dodd from This Week in Geek to discuss all about how TTRPGs make us feel. Part of the Game Master's job is to elicit emotions from their players, so we discuss a few ways this can be achieved in your system of choice. Often this will take the form of some classic tropes such as "victory, but at a cost", however it really depends on what you want them to feel at that specific time. Sometimes it's excitement, others is shock or even horror. The tools you use, and when you use them, will have a huge impact on how your players feel. We move on to discussing how a critical component of engaging players is selling "the world", and one easy way to do this is through pop culture and established settings. It's much easier for players to feel immersed in Star Wars or Ghostbusters than it is "My Generic Fantasy Setting A".  Ultimately, emotional response and immersion are correlated, so anything you can do to increase the latter only has a positive effect on the former. 03:55 - Eliciting Emotions 23:29 - Emotive Feedback Loop 40:06 - Benefits of Pop Culture in Campaign Setting 53:44 - Portraying Character Emotions Find Mike 'The Birdman' on: This Week In Geek: http://thisweekingeek.net/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BirdmanDodd Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/birdmandodd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisweekingeek/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/birdmandodd Find me on: Website: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThinkCritDnD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinking_critically_dnd/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkingCriticallyDnD YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_BSgazjwyshzo1jazHeaQ References: 'Emotions' episode of Thinking Critically Terrible Warriors 'Alien The Roleplaying Game' by Free League Publishing 'Lore' episode of Thinking Critically 'Tales from the Loop' by Free League Publishing 'Cyberpunk RED' by R. Talsorian Games 'Stargate RPG' by Wyvern Gaming Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod

This week I am joined by Lucas Zellers, host of the 'Making a Monster' podcast to talk, unsurprisingly, about monsters! This episode is broadly split into two halves, the first focusing on mechanical minutia of running stat blocks, including various tips and tricks, such as "do your homework"! We also discuss the elegance of Matt Coville's Action Oriented Monster design approach and how it highlights shortcomings in the design of Dungeons & Dragons. Running higher level monsters RAW is essentially parsing a database; it might not appear like it at first glance, but communicating intent, theme, history, and philosophy in a way which is easy to understand is really an exercise in technical writing. The second half of the episode focuses on the historical weight and implication of monsters in the D&D-verse. Lucas shares his passion and knowledge of Dagon, using them as an example of the "iceberg" history all monsters have. Perhaps next time you haphazardly throw an encounter together (much in the way I do!), you'll spare a thought for the legacy of these creatures... which will likely open up interesting and unique ways to play! 01:18 - What Monster Design Reveals About the System 08:46 - "Monsterless" Games 21:57 - Planning & Running Monsters 43:41 - 'Named' Monsters & Historical Baggage Find Lucas on: Website: https://www.scintilla.studio Twitter: https://twitter.com/sparkotter Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/otterspark YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP4DNJTVwQlC5U7ro6lrIMg Making a Monster: https://scintilla.studio/monster/ The Book of Extinction: https://scintilla.studio/extinction Find me on: Website: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThinkCritDnD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinking_critically_dnd/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkingCriticallyDnD YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_BSgazjwyshzo1jazHeaQ References: 'Monster of the Week' by Evil Hat Productions 'Vaesen' by Free League Publishing Action Oriented Monsters by Matthew Colville 'The Dresden Files' by Jim Butcher 'Ezmerelda's Encyclopedia of Evil' on DMs Guild Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod

Jon from the 'Tale of the Manticore' (@ManticoreTale) actual-play podcast joins me to talk about creating stories in Dungeons and Dragons. We open by tackling the academic: the seven story archetypes and how to crack the "code" of a compelling narrative. However, this quickly breaks down as the collaborative nature of TTPRGs inherently sets them apart from traditional media; the eternal struggle of story versus agency. There can be pressure on DMs to "tell a good story", but how does this impact player agency? Depending on the players, those two elements can often pull in opposite directions. By reframing the role of the Dungeon Master as a "conflict provider", rather than story teller (or, indeed, narrator), we can start to nudge the immediate gameplay into the sweet spot of agency creating story. Finally, another aspect unique to TTRPGs is that the players have direct control over the actors, which brings with it some exceptional responsibility. With a fully fleshed out character, it's likely you'll have to sacrifice some of that vision and theme to further the story. This is, of course, much easier said than done. 03:51 - Applying Story Archetypes to TTRPGs 22:21 - Creating Tale of the Manticore 25:32 - Story Versus Agency 37:50 - Reactive Versus Proactive Storytelling 42:07 - Sacrificing Character Vision to the Story 52:04 - Producing Tale of the Manticore Find Jon (@ManticoreTale) on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/ManticoreTale PodBean: https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/ Blogspot: https://taleofthemanticore.blogspot.com/ Find me on: Website: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThinkCritDnD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinking_critically_dnd/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkingCriticallyDnD YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_BSgazjwyshzo1jazHeaQ References: 'Dungeon Craft' by Professor Dungeon Master Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod

This very special episode was recorded on location at Geek Retreat Southampton! As such, it has a slightly different format to all my previous episodes. I was fortunate enough to have Simon, James, Anastazia, and Anri share with me their TTRPG experiences and what bought them to the store that night. We cover a broad range of topics including how playing "in public" affects the experience, the concept of a "co-DM", and what it's like to play with a pick-up-group of strangers. It was such a pleasure to have the opportunity to speak to such a talented and diverse group of people, each overflowing with excitement for Dungeons & Dragons. This episode is not sponsored, supported, or endorsed by 'Geek Retreat' in any way. 00:56 - Simon 13:24 - James 24:38 - Anastazia 01:08:40 - Anri Find Geek Retreat on: Website (UK): https://geek-retreat.uk/ Twitter (UK): https://twitter.com/GeekRetreatUK Instagram (UK): https://www.instagram.com/geekretreatuk/ Facebook (UK): https://www.facebook.com/GeekRetreatUK Website (local branch): https://southampton.geek-retreat.com/ Instagram (local branch): https://www.instagram.com/geek_retreat_southampton/ Facebook (local branch): https://www.facebook.com/GeekRetreatSouthampton Find me on: Website: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThinkCritDnD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinking_critically_dnd/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkingCriticallyDnD References: "Happiness": Simon's episode of Thinking Critically "Conflict": Episode of Thinking Critically "Macro": Episode of Thinking Critically Dungeons, Dice, and Dudes The DM Lair Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod

This episode I'm joined by Aaron Preuss (@Primus_Casts) to discuss growth within Dungeons & Dragons, and there's a lot to unpack here. Most people find their own character designs evolve and mature over time, and Aaron takes us through a couple of his own examples which can serve as inspiration and springboards for your own creations. Having genuine and believable flaws for your character is a fantastic thing, as it provides room for growth over the course of the adventure. More difficult, however, is figuring out how to make those flaws work effectively within a party, each struggling with their own issues. The second half of the episode focuses on how the gameplay dynamic shifts considerably at higher level play. How can you enjoyably roleplay a character which can be the embodiment of a god? How can the DM create engaging encounters and NPCs when the PCs are beyond mortal concerns? 04:32 - Player and Character Growth: Exploring your Personality 10:26 - Making Interesting Characters 31:32 - Higher Levels Campaigns: How to Entertain Doctor Manhattan Find Aaron on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Primus_Casts Find me on: Website: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThinkCritDnD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinking_critically_dnd/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkingCriticallyDnD References: Dungeons and Randomness podcast Not Another D&D Podcast The Underground Oracle Toys for Tots Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod

This episode I'm joined by table top game creator and narrative designer Geoffrey Golden to dissect humour, which we all know is everyone's favourite thing to do! I start by absolutely butchering Kevin MacLeod's surname and for that, I can never apologise enough. Once that horrible faux pas is left behind, we move on to the juicy topic how the mechanics of a TTRPG impact and guide humour within a particular setting, and ways you can use the mechanics to elicit emotion. Indeed, most games have something a stake, be it existential obliteration or a more personal plight, and DMs and players must remain flexible to ensure those stakes aren't undermined by goofs. There is often and underlying tug-of-war between immersion and humour, but it's more nuanced than that as humour can take many forms from in-universe tropes, through pop culture references, to meta table banter. Being aware of where the knot is on that rope is an exceptionally valuable skill for both players and DMs, to avoid tonal whiplash as one team slips up and the rope goes flying. Full disclosure, the single moment of unprofessionalism in my entire career at 29:00 has been deliberately left in for historical and hilarity purposes. Please don't let me cease to be. 06:56 - Divining Humour from Mechanics 23:12 - Running a Humour Based Actual Play 29:54 - Tone Versus Immersion: The Eternal Seesaw 37:00 - Character Comedy Find Geoffrey on: Website: http://www.geoffreygolden.com Target Run on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/372247/Target-Run Twitter: https://twitter.com/geoffreygolden Find me on: Website: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThinkCritDnD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinking_critically_dnd/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkingCriticallyDnD References: 'Aesthetic' episode of Thinking Critically 'Trinity Continuum: Aberrant' by Onyx Path Publishing 'Straight to VHS' by Lost Cat Games Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod

This episode I'm joined by Adam from Snyder's Return to debate the pros and cons of narrative focused TTRPG systems. Such an interesting topic overflowing with meaning, subjectivity, and design intent; this episode covers it all! Firstly, Adam and I set the scope of the show by defining the terms and systems, setting the foundation for next 55 minutes. We then go on to dissect how the relatively crunchy, mechanics-heavy D&D system inevitably impacts the narrative, and the steps you can take to either mitigate, or engage this direction. For example, having a character sheet full of numbers can suggest that bigger numbers are better, and therefore the pursuit of those bigger numbers should be the driving focus of your character. To quote, it's a form of mechanical coercion, where the systems encourage maths, rather than meaning. To round out the episode, Adam explains how the mindset of a GM needs to shift, be almost transient, when dealing with different systems and games. Although the mental overhead is the same between say, D&D and PbtA, the feeling and direction can be quite radically different. 02:17 - Different Flavours of Campaigns 07:44 - How System Impacts Narrative 21:11 - Considerations of a Narrative-Driven Campaign 34:39 - The GM Overhead of Running a Game 56:00 - What Makes Great Narrative Find Adam (@ReturnSnyder) on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReturnSnyder Website: https://snydersreturn.squarespace.com/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/snydersreturn Find me on: Website: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThinkCritDnD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinking_critically_dnd/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkingCriticallyDnD References: 'Random' episode of Thinking Critically with Beholder to No One Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod