Monthly Archives: May 2012

99 Problems But a Lich Ain’t One (Hundred)

Posted on May 29, 2012 by

The Id DM earns an Action Point today as it reaches the 100-post milestone. I previously expressed gratitude to all who have helped me and summarized the first year of the blog. With my 100th post, I thought it might be … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication | Tagged , | 9 Comments

May of the Dead: Character Death & Player Grief

Posted on May 25, 2012 by

I was asked by the fine folks at The Going Last Podcast to participate in their May of the Dead Carnival. The blog carnival features a wealth of articles devoted to the undead. Realizing that many other talented writers would … Continue reading →

Posted in DM Advice, PC Behavior | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Selling The Drama

Posted on May 17, 2012 by

Regardless of the actions that take place during combat encounters in Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition, it is the responsibility of the DM to ensure the players know what they are fighting for and both how and why monsters are reacting to them … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, DM Advice, Encounters, PC Behavior | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Critical Overload

Posted on May 15, 2012 by

I am discovering a growing “problem” in my campaign. The number of critical hits leveled against monsters during any given combat encounter in our Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition campaign is getting out of hand and it is effecting my … Continue reading →

Posted in DM Advice, Encounters, PC Behavior | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 35 Comments

No Assembly Required: Thurl Bal’zud, Cleric of Laduguer

Posted on May 10, 2012 by

The May edition of my monthly monster-building column, No Assembly Required, is now posted at This Is My Game. The column, No Assembly Required, features a monster that can be inserted into a Dungeon & Dragons 4th Edition campaign. Each monster in … Continue reading →

Posted in No Assembly Required | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Agony of Defeat

Posted on May 4, 2012 by

Approximately 60 hours before I learned that my blog won the RPG Site of The Year from Stuffer Shack this week, I presided over arguably the worst D&D session I have ever run. The session started out well enough, but the last two … Continue reading →

Posted in DM Advice, PC Behavior | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 33 Comments

The Thrill of Victory

Posted on May 2, 2012 by

This week, I was bestowed the wonderful honor of being named RPG Site of The Year through a contest hosted by Stuffer Shack. It is truly a wonderful surprise, and I want to thank everyone that voted for me last … Continue reading →

Posted in Gratitude | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments