Running Off The Rails

Ray and Ariel discuss how to make a villain that your characters will care about—specifically care about killing them ASAP. This episode covers a classic screenwriting technique called "Kick the Dog" which establishes the bad guy by having them hurt a helpless character in the world.

Ray and Ariel review two great examples of Dog Kicking from the new One Piece series and the Disney Classic, The Emperor's new groove. Both masterclasses in establishing characters you want to punch right in the jaw.

Website: https://runningofftherails.com

Emery's Physical Copy:

https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397328/Emerys-Log-of-Legendary-Eminences

Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences⁠

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

Ray and Ariel discuss the different categories of sentient magic items that appear in popular fiction and Dungeons and Dragons.

From Nightblood to the One Ring, we deconstruct their sentience so that you can use the pieces to build your own items at your own tables.

Website: https://runningofftherails.com

Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences⁠

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

Ray and Ariel discuss Ariel's homebrew class he first played seven(!) years ago that is in its final stages before publishing to the DMSGuild. The Medium is a fortune-telling, multi-verse traveling class for 5th edition inspired by all kinds of plane-shifting experiences from Stranger Things to Everything Everywhere All at Once. Ray and Ariel go over the process of homebrewing, the core functions of the class, and how core DnD classes don't always offer the same things that you can find in homebrew material.

Website: https://runningofftherails.com

Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences⁠

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

Ray and Ariel have a more casual conversation this episode discussing the playtest Ray ran for the Emery's kickstarter stretch goal, featuring Za'ul the Lich King. They discuss what to prioritize for a major boss battle, and how to inject some new mechanics into minion fights with Za'ul's magical golems as examples. Ray and Ariel also tease the next episode where they will be reviewing Ariel's push-your-luck style homebrew class, which (he promises) will finally be ready for publishing.

Website: https://runningofftherails.com

Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences⁠

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

Ray and Ariel provide mechanics that address specific criticisms they made of 5e in the previous episode. Here are some short rules that will...

• Prompt players to choose between a more diverse set of weapons
• Inspire new rivalries between different types of spellcasters
• Help you to present more varied loot and rewards to your players.

Three design tools modern games use to make interesting encounters: power budgets, counters, and hands/throws. Dungeons and Dragons falls short in implementing these design principles sometimes for the sake of simplicity. Let's fix it.

Show Notes: https://www.runningofftherails.com/en-us/articles/decisions-episode-notes

Website: https://runningofftherails.com

Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences⁠

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

Ray and Ariel discuss the three design tools modern games use to make interesting encounters: power budgets, counters, and hands/throws. Dungeons and Dragons falls short in implementing these design principles sometimes for the sake of simplicity, but often because it is catering to a different experience than a video game with instantaneous game-matching and player feedback. Ray and Ariel dig deeper though, and look for the specific places where Dungeon and Dragons could implement these concepts and improve on players' decision-making experience

Amazing video by Game Designer's Toolkit that discusses Trade-offs, Counters, Hands and Throws and how video games get balanced:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXQzdXPTb2A&ab_channel=GameMaker%27sToolkit

Website: https://runningofftherails.com

Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences⁠

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

Ray and Ariel discuss how to spice up the Find Familiar spell in dungeons and dragons. Familiars can often feel like a spell effect in our campaigns rather than fully fledged characters. Ray and Ariel were both inspired the hilarious fox familiar in Worlds Beyond Number to think up different ways DMs can create memorable familiars for their players.

Ray and Ariel present mechanics for familiar progression, discuss how to treat familiars as NPCs in your world, and come up with a few modifications to the find familiar ritual.

Website: https://runningofftherails.com

Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences⁠

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

Ray and Ariel discuss achieving prestige fantasies in D&D 5e. Why did the 5e Prestige Classes unearthed arcana miss the mark?

Then Ray and Ariel present mechanics for how they think that discovered and unexpected character paths can be successful in D&D 5e.

Website: https://runningofftherails.com

Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences⁠

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

Ray and Ariel look back on the year, share updates on Emery's Log of Legendary Resistances kickstarter, and discuss plans for the future of the podcast.

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/RunningOffTheRails/

Website: https://runningofftherails.com

Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

Ray and Ariel layout examples and tools that will dungeon masters implement cliffhangers in their games of D&D. Cliffhangers define how the time in between sessions feel to your players. They can be crucial for keeping a new group of players together during the time before they are invested in their characters. They can also be sources of hype and inspire plans and character motivation in the downtime in between sessions. Drive player engagement during the times away from the table by bringing cliffhangers to your table.

This episode draws heavy inspiration from Joseph Bendoski and J Washburn's creative writing podcast, Start Writing. Listen to one of their episodes about cliffhangers here: https://joseph-bendoski.com/sw106-dis-chapter-cliffhangers

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/RunningOffTheRails/

Website: https://runningofftherails.com

Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

Game designer Heavyarms joins Ray to discuss the Legacy of the Ranger in 5th edition dungeons and dragons. Ray and Heavyarms take a look at the fantastical origins of the ranger and try to make sense of the different versions that have been published by Wizards of the Coast. Then Heavyarms discusses the approach he took when designing his own 5th Edition Ranger class and why it delivers on the promise of the ranger where other attempts have fallen short.

Heavyarms Ranger class: https://www.heavyarms.com/products/ranger?variant=42490049953956

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/RunningOffTheRails/

Website: https://runningofftherails.com

Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

Ray and Ariel discuss how to pace your dungeons and dragons adventure so the players have enough time to process all the great emotional stories you want to tell. When players are presented with conflict after conflict, the emotion of one story beat can get overshadowed by another. On the flip side, many sessions of d&d can feel slow if the story doesn't progress or the combats drag from round to round. Ray and Ariel talk through the structure of story beats in popular fiction and successful WotC adventures and provide some easy tools to help you create an exhilarating and emotional journey at your table.

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/RunningOffTheRails/

Website: https://runningofftherails.com

Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

Ray and Ariel discuss one of the classic problems in dungeons and dragons: what to do when your players decide to split up. Specifically, they look at three different ways player characters can be separated during your sessions, even if they are technically in the same location. Ray and Ariel both love running games with split parties for different reasons, and share the successes they've had sharing the spotlight across a split group.

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/RunningOffTheRails/

Website: https://runningofftherails.com

Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

Ray and Ariel discuss Ray's recent experiences running a 100 Demon army against in his players. How can you as a DM deliver the fantasy of battling in an army in Dungeons and Dragons? We provide tips and tricks to help army combat be a hit at your table, no matter your player's level.

Ray used MCDM's new minion rules available for free to help him run this combat with fast pacing.

MCDM Flee Mortals free preview: https://shop.mcdmproductions.com/products/flee-mortals-preview-packet

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/RunningOffTheRails/

Website: https://runningofftherails.com

Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

Ray and Ariel discuss Ray's recent experiences playing Gloomhaven with his dungeons and dragons group. Gloomhaven has 11 secret classes that players unlock and play as they retire characters. This is very different from how folks typically play D&D 5e where they typically play one character per campaign. What would a game of Dungeons and Dragons look like if we embraced the idea that we would be retiring our strongest characters and starting new characters that slightly lagged the rest of the party in power level? 

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/RunningOffTheRails/

Website: https://runningofftherails.com

Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

Ray and Ariel discuss the the benefit of running dnd in a detailed setting. Fifth edition is largely setting agnostic. People have used the fifth edition ruleset to run games in modern, ancient, high-magic, and low-magic fantasy genres. This gives people a ton of flexibility, but is in stark contrast with most RPGs (e.g. 7th Sea, Blades in the Dark, etc.). Ray and Ariel use some classic examples like the Dark Sun setting from older dungeons and dragons editions to show the benefits of choosing a tone-appropriate setting when planning a campaign. It may add extra work before sitting down to play, but it will help the players and the DM stay on the same page, and curate a tone for the road ahead.

Dark Sun Setting Guide Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G1vep6rcCI&t=5187s

Website: https://runningofftherails.com

Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

Ray and Ariel discuss the Implicit Knowledge Disparity—the gap between what a player knows and what their character knows. When the player and their character are expected to know very little about the setting, dnd tends to run very smoothly. But when the character is expected to know a lot about the setting, you could end up with a large knowledge disparity. Ray and Ariel discuss how to design your campaign so that players implicitly know enough about the world to fulfill the fantasy you're excited to run. Whether that be a plane jumping campaign of novel exploration, or a deeply political campaign with alliances and back-stabbing in the very first sessions.

Website: https://runningofftherails.com

Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

Ray and Ariel both have found running high level dungeons and dragons to have serious challenges. Players have so many tools it can be hard to challenge them while building a story for your players that feels satisfying. Ray and Ariel look to examples of high magic, high power level adventures in Critical Role's EXU: Calamity and Netflix's DOTA Dragon Blood to discern what makes a good D&D setting for the highest tiers of power. The three most important lessons learned: no rest for the wicked, too much threat to handle, and relying on the characters' arcs.

Website: https://runningofftherails.com

Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

Ray's player JJ feels that his Barbarian isn't as fun to play as Mark's Warlock or Ali's Cleric. This feeling that martial classes are under-tuned compared to spellcasting classes is a feeling that many players feel and take to the internet to discuss.

Ray and Ariel lay out the meta reason why they believe this is the case and detail 3 separate approaches that DMs can take to solve this dilemma at their DnD tables.

Website: https://runningofftherails.com

Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

Ray and Ariel discuss the loaded subject of "balance" in D&D. Ray asserts that balance is an illusion and that chasing it can be fruitless or a false target. After listening to this episode players and DMs will be able to more effectively evaluate balance at their table and make meaningful decisions that facilitate more fun for all of your players.

Website: https://runningofftherails.com

Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

Ray and Ariel discuss how to have constructive conversations about the morals your party will live by and society's morals you introduce as a DM. D&D is only partially a medieval fantasy analog, and our morals as people outside the game are going to influence what we enjoy roleplaying at the table. But uncritically adhering to our modern day morals, aka Presentism, can hurt fantasy escapism in the same ways that being inconsiderate of our modern morals can. Ray and Ariel bring up their own examples to show how they've navigated these potentially campaign-ending issues.

Kickstarter: https://runningofftherails.com/kickstarter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg

Ray and Ariel discuss how to emulate larger-than-life characters from fiction in TTRPGs with a tool called Gestalt Leveling. Gestalt Leveling means that when your characters level, they gain the features of two different classes simultaneously. This works particularly well for small parties that might have too many gaps in their abilities. Many of the best larger-than-life characters are NPCs in your world. It can be difficult to make iconic NPCs because they can overshadow the players. A gestalt NPC can still be the kind of character from fiction that strikes out on their own and has inspiring stories to tell, without being an overwhelmingly high level.

Kickstarter: https://runningofftherails.com/kickstarter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg

Ray and Ariel discuss how to maintain Escapism in your game of Dungeons and Dragons. We discuss how tools like Lines and Veils can be used effectively to be deliberate about which hard problems you want to place front and center in your games, and which hard problems are better avoided. 

Don't forget our kickstarter will in 2 days! For more information, along with instructions for our gemstone dice giveaway (!!), click on the links below.

Kickstarter: https://runningofftherails.com/kickstarter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg

Ray makes a status announcement on behalf of the Emery's Log team. Janek has joined the team as an editor and prompted us to create 4 new fiend eminences. We hit our first stretch goal, and we will begin work on Za'Ul and his Spire of Bones. Also 5 new raffle entry methods are detailed on the Running off the Rails Kickstarter page.

website: https://runningofftherails.com/kickstarter

Ray and Ariel discuss how to betray the party without ruining a campaign. Betrayals are the climax of many great stories, and we want to include them in our tabletop fantasy fulfillment.  Ray and Ariel discuss different ways a betrayal can be a win-win for the party and the betraying character instead of a zero sum game. It's important to think about how everyone can have fun before thinking about winning. Don't forget our kickstarter will end soon! For more information, along with instructions for our gemstone dice giveaway (!!), click on the links below.

Kickstarter Url: https://runningofftherails.com/kickstarter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg 

Ray announces our Stretch Goals on behalf of the Emery's Log team and celebrates hitting the $1000 milestone.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences  

Running off the Rails website: https://runningofftherails.com/kickstarter  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Ray thanks the community on behalf of the Emery's Log team and announces an exciting thank you gift that will be getting added to Emery's Log.

Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences

Running off the Rails website: https://runningofftherails.com/kickstarter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Emery's Log of Legendary Eminences is live on Kickstarter Right Now. We added some early backer options explicitly for long time listeners of the show, so be sure to check out the kickstarter sooner rather than later.

If you would like a sample of the kickstarter, fill out the form at https://runningofftherails.com/kickstarter. Filling out the form will also enter you once into the URWizards Purple Cats Eye Gemstone Dice Giveaway. There will be up to 10 total opportunities to enter additional raffle tickets in your name though, so if you really want them, we recommend following our instagram for the most up to date information.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg  URWizards Purple Cats Eye Gemstone Dice: https://urwizards.com/products/urwizards-dnd-engraved-purple-cats-eye-stone-dice-set-nordic-style

Ray and Ariel discuss how to design encounters using round-by-round objectives. Players can often go through a combat on autopilot, just using their strongest attack every round, and not feeling engages. If the stakes of the combat change each round, players have to pay attention and think on their feet. Ray and Ariel provide a wide variety of ways to bring different objectives into combat, from using different kinds of enemies, to enemies that have exciting plans of their own, to wild and changing terrain that puts a wrench in your players' plans.

Don't forget our kickstarter is launching soon! For more information, along with instructions for our gemstone dice giveaway (!!), click on the links below.

Form Url: https://runningofftherails.com/kickstarter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg

URWizards Purple Cats Eye Gemstone Dice: https://urwizards.com/products/urwizards-dnd-engraved-purple-cats-eye-stone-dice-set-nordic-style

We are excited to announce that on Wednesday, April 13th at 11am EST, our first ever Kickstarter goes live. We are announcing this early so that our long-time listeners are prepared to take advantage of a limited number of discounted backer options. We created these explicitly as a way of saying thank you for taking this journey with us.

If you would like a sample of the kickstarter, fill out the form on this website. Filling out the form will also enter you once into the URWizards Purple Cats Eye Gemstone Dice Giveaway. There will be up to 10 total opportunities to enter additional raffle tickets in your name though, so if you really want them, we recommend following our instagram for the most up to date information.

Form Url: https://runningofftherails.com/kickstarter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg

URWizards Purple Cats Eye Gemstone Dice: https://urwizards.com/products/urwizards-dnd-engraved-purple-cats-eye-stone-dice-set-nordic-style

Ray and Ariel discuss 4th Edition Monster Roles and how they can be applied to make your 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons combat encounters more exciting. If you have played games like Team Fortress 2, Overwatch, and League of Legends, you are acutely aware of how unit specialization can make a game. Leverage this expertise in your game of D&D to make your next combat one to remember.

Roles Quick Reference:
Artillery, Brute, Controller, Lurker, Leader, Skirmisher, & Soldier

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg

After watching Riot's hit new show Arcane, Ray and Ariel both wanted to recreate the epic drama they saw in their home games of D&D. In this episode, they answer the questions: Why were the character arcs and the drama of Arcane so engaging? And how exactly can we bring these to our tables? Ray and Ariel discuss how the simplicity and interconnectedness of the factions in Arcane can be replicated without starting a new campaign from scratch. And come up with ways the technological battles in Arcane can tie in to a more traditional D&D setting.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg

Ray and Ariel examine the explicit expectations of high-level characters in Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (D&D 2nd Edition). In D&D 2e, it is clearly stated that high-level characters are expected to manage forts, temples, and sanctuaries. The Druid even goes so far as to remove levels from characters that lose their positions in Druidic society. D&D 5e may have removed these explicit rules from the game to increase flexibility, but in doing so they are perhaps setting up DMs and Players for disappointment. High-level D&D still BEGS political and regional questions of high-level adventurers, but players and DMs don't always know what they are signing up for.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg

Ray and Ariel discuss Convergent and Divergent design. When is each useful? Then Ray and Ariel apply these concepts to an analysis of MCDM's new Dungeons and Dragons class, the Beastheart. 

MCDM's Beastheart: https://shop.mcdmproductions.com/collections/beastheart-class-companions/products/beastheart-companions

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg

Ray and Ariel respond to a question from a listener who asked what they can do to make combat more interesting for a player whose character is unconscious. They discuss all kinds of potential solutions, from incentivizing other players to heal downed characters, to wholesale changes to the rules of unconsciousness. Both mechanical changes and role play changes are on the table so that every gaming group can find a style of play that works best for them.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg

Ray and Ariel discuss how previous editions of dungeons and dragons made progression feel more earned, and how we can get use these lessons to improve our fifth edition games. There are three priorities Ray and Ariel outline when deciding how to level your party: 1) Player engagement, 2) Realism with narrative character development, and 3) Uniqueness of characters as they progress. They discuss strategies for each of these priorities and offer a campaign-shaping suggestion for a way to get a healthy dose of all three.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg

Ray and Ariel discuss how some skill checks can feel anti-climactic. How can we make important Persuasion, Insight, and Investigation checks feel more suspenseful? How can we mitigate the risk of an important narrative moment going "all wrong" because of a single bad dice roll. How can we make intense political encounters feel like a combat with hits and misses rather than a single roll. Also Ray and JJ play chess for a magic item? All this and more on this week's episode of running off the rails.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg

Ray and Ariel do something a little different and look back on the past year of making this podcast together. They discuss some of the advice that has impacted their own games the most, the published materials they've been inspired by, and the future of the podcast going forward.

If you enjoyed today's episode, please share us with a friend. You can support the show by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg

Ray is joined by the creator of DnDestiny, GoodGameKitty, to discuss how all DMs design and curate the game at their table. Kitty gives some pointers about how to bring your favorite mechanics and experiences from video games to your own table. The world of video game design has so many amazing resources; we should not ignore this source of research, design, play testing, and inspiration.

If you want to join the DnDestiny community today, join the Velvet Fang Discord: https://discord.gg/velvetfang
If you want to start playing DnDestiny FOR FREE today, download the game materials here: https://dndestinyproject.com/

If you enjoyed today's episode, please share us with a friend. You can support the show by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg

Ray and Ariel talk about how to make conditions more exciting at your table. How can you present conditions to your players in ways that feel threatening and uncertain? How can you homebrew conditions at your table to make poisons, curses, and diseases "explorable?" Really highlight what is different about your setting by customizing the environmental dangers that are unique there.

Website: https://runningofftherails.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails