Chris Sims's Blog, page 3

Canon Fodder

Yeah, that was an easy pun, but it's in stride with my opinions on this subject and has a deeper meaning in this essay. Based on discussions I've had with various colleagues and friends, I decide to put my viewpoint on display here. Hopefully, it'll give you and me some clarity. First, though, we need to define terms.

In a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting context, canon can be defined as imagined world history up to just a moment ago. This can consist of an overarching metaplot, as with...

Mailbag 8—All By Myself, Part 5

This final piece is all about the competition for your solos—the players and their characters. You design encounters to challenge those others at your game table, so almost all of this series has really been about them anyway. Rather than the mechanics of making and using solo creatures, this section focuses on engaging players, and keeping them that way, and allowing characters to shine against a solo.

You probably already know it, but if you're a good DM, you're probably having the most fun ...

D&D Trivia Archive May 2010

On Twitter, I give out little tidbits about D&D history as I know it or experienced it. This means I might not always be right, but at least it's interesting.  You can challenge me on twitter or by email.

Here's the May 2010 D&D trivia archive.

Even the greatest DMs, such as Monte Cook, fail to keep it all straight sometimes. Ask him, and he'll tell ya. Relax and enjoy.My understanding–D&D R&D DMs identify minions as such in some way. The assumption: skilled combatants can identify...

Mailbag 7–All By Myself, Part 4

Now we come to another piece on managing your solos. If you're just joining us, you can read the first, second, and third installments if you like. It's probably not necessary. I'll reiterate a little before we start.

DMing a solo is at least as rewarding as running encounters with more monsters. It can be even more satisfying, since a solo can and should evoke strong reactions from players as it deals out destruction. But running a solo requires extra care, especially if you're using the...

Mailbag 6 – All By Myself, Part 3

Click to Enlarge

In this installment of the exploration of solos, we have two statistics blocks based on what we've been talking about in the first and second installments.

Brand Power

First is a dragon. In or out of the dungeon, this monster has to leave an impression.

I envision many dragons as a little brutelike, along with another role in most cases. What I mean is that I like to see most dragons acting like the big, strong creatures they are. The solo role determines how they finesse the...