Taking 20 Podcast

The idiot host of this podcast keeps saying that character death is a powerful and dramatic moment.  If that's true, how do we as DMs deal with the death of a character around the table?  In this episode we talk about the dos and don'ts of character death and how to handle the moment properly.

Having discussed whether GMs can cheat, Jeremy focuses the lens on how players cheat and recommendations for how GMs can handle the table when players cheat.  Please provide feedback to feedback@taking20podcast.com.

Are Game Masters beholden to the same rules that players are?  If it would result in a dramatic story beat or important campaign moment, is it okay for GMs to change prewritten adventures, change monster hit points and abilities in the middle of the battle, or even change the dice rolled behind the screen?

How viable are spells that give the victim a single saving throw before taking them out of a fight, campaign, or existence?  Should you use these spells against PCs?  What alternatives are there?  In this episode we discuss these questions and much more about the spells and abilities where you make the save or it sucks to be you.

Why would GMs play unholy antagonists and Big Bad Evil Guys like morons?  In too many prepublished adventures, intelligent undead like liches, vampires, and ghasts are played as rash, unthinking, bumbling buffoons.  Jeremy presents alternate ways of thinking.  He gets into the mind of an ageless creature and hopefully gets your thoughts going on how to role play these rare, intelligent, monsters.

We'd all love to DM/GM for a 4-person party but it is rare.  More often we'll have 6 players or even 8-9 who want to play in a campaign even if we only start off with 4.  How do you handle these huge parties or small parties of less than 4?  If you have a small party, how do you add capabilities to the party with NPCs?  

What is the difference between roll and role playing?  How should players and GMs approach the balance between the two?  Thank you Trevor in San Antonio for the topic idea!

The ability to improvise, adapt, and overcome obstacles is a critical skill needed for GMs and players alike.  In this episode Jeremy discusses techniques of improvisation utilizing the basic tenets he learned performing improv comedy, allowing GMs to keep the story on track and players to support their game partners.

Players using their knowledge to make decisions for their characters is always bad, right?  In this episode, Jeremy talks about the good and bad of metagaming and even cites examples when the DM inadvertently or purposefully provides metagame knowledge to the players.  Come visit us at www.taking20podcast.com

Tired of shopkeepers with no name?  Ready to make your character stand out from the ocean of numbers on the character sheet?  In this episode we discuss how to make your characters or NPCs feel like real, fleshed-out people by giving them goals, motivations, foibles and flaws.