Sometimes you don't have time to create a map for your combat encounters.  Sometimes the players do something unexpected and get into a fight that you weren't prepared to put on the table in front of you.  Sometimes you just don't have enough space to run the combat that you would like with minis and everything.  Whatever the reason, running theater of the mind combat is a great way to add a different perspective to you game.  Join John and Danielle as they discuss the things to consider when running theater of the mind and find out why Danielle is so infatuate with bees! W ..read more

We have seen several people curious about how long it actually takes to plan out a session lately.  In this becomingDM side quest, John looks at the factors that can influence how long session planning takes and then reveals his average prep time.  Join us for the side quest ..read more

Are you finding that you have trouble scheduling games with your group and no one seems to be available at the same time?  Or maybe you don't have the time to dedicate to a single long session.  If that's the case, consider running play by post games.  In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle talk about the benefits and challenges of pbp as well as things to consider if you're getting involved in a pbp game. We'd love to hear from you!  If you have an idea for a future episode of becomingDM, go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas and let us know ..read more

Having trouble trying to figure out where to look for players for your game or where to find a game that you can play in or run?  In this becomingDM side quest, John talks about some of his favorite places to look for people for local games.  Join us to find your next game! Got an idea for a future side quest or main line episode?  We want to hear about it!  Go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas to share your episode idea ..read more

There is a lot of stuff that happens in your games every session.  If you don't stay on top of managing your campaign, you could end up with players asking to revisit an NPC that you haven't thought about in months and don't really remember anything about.  In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle talk about what sorts of things you might want to include in your campaign management as well as three common ways of performing campaign management.  Join us to hear all the details!  That, and Danielle's love of paper. Got an idea for a future episode?  Let us know ..read more

Spend enough time getting people together for game sessions and they're going to want to have some food.  In this becomingDM side quest, John talks about the things to consider for food at the table and goes through some of the items that he has found have gone over well with the table.  Join us for a feast! Got an idea for a future episode of becomingDM?  Or Maybe a side quest?  Make sure to go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas and let us know all about it ..read more

This week we continue our discussion about getting your game unstuck.  Whether you are still stuck on setting, your players are being an issue or anything else, we'll cover it and strategies to get yourself and your game unstuck.  Additionally, John learns the term, "faffing about"! Join us for this week's episode! Got an idea for a future episode of becomingDM?  We'd love to hear about it!  Go to becomingDM.com/ideas and let us know all about it.  Want to submit an idea for a side quest?  Use the same form ..read more

In this becomingDM side quest, John talks about a new game that you can use to play something different!  Get ready for a game that mimics 80s style text-based computer games, but needs no computer with the game Parsely.  If you want to get a copy of Parsely for yourself, make sure to go to https://memento-mori.com If you've got an idea for a future side quest or main episode of becomingDM, let us know!  We always want to hear what you want to hear. Make sure to go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas to submit your episode idea today ..read more

In this becomingDM Side Quest, John delves into optional rules for D&D 5e and talks about flanking.  One of the standard rules that was left out from older versions of D&D and even pathfinder was how to handle when the party (or enemy) flanks their opponent.  Check out this episode to see how the optional rule resolves that ..read more

The age old question of whether you, as a DM, should use as a DM screen.  What are the benefits?  What are the drawbacks?  What are some neat cool things you can do with them?  In this episode of becomingDM we dive into the topic of DM screens with two different viewpoints: Danielle who is a staunch advocate of DM screens and John who has never used one in four decades of running games!  Will John be convinced to start using DM screens?  Join us to find out! We always want to hear what you'd like for us to talk about on our next episode, let us know by going to ht ..read more