How Not to DM

Nathan and the rest of the Reckless Attack podcast burst on the scene mid 2021, and have been gaining momentum since with their amazing audio quality and unique story.

Nathan spent many hours thinking about the show, how he wanted it to sound, how he wanted to market it, and more before the first episode was ever published. We talk about what it takes to really launch a quality show, and how to market your work without selling yourself short.

Sam has been creating TTRPG content for a year and a half now, including the podcast Roleplaying and Rollplaying, now in its second season, TTRPG memes, a kickstarter project, and more!

The R&R twitter account is well over 27k followers at the time of me recording this intro, which means it’s probably grown more since. Sam has some great tips on the account’s rapid growth, but also how he may have done things differently if he could go back in time.

Joel Kleine, aka Midlife Dices, is one of those people who has a knack for everything he touches! In his past he’s been in bands, was a school teacher for many years, and lately he’s found a knack for making cool stuff for TTRPGs!

Joel has written some really creative and useful supplements for your own games about new worlds to use, spell component ideas, spell casting foci ideas, has gotten into character and layout art, and more!

James Introcaso is an accomplished game designer, having contributed to seven different official D&D books and a slew of other third party supplements including his current gig as lead designer for Matt Colville’s MCDM Productions.

This means he’s got valuable insights into getting into designing games, what it’s like working with some of the best known folks in the industry, and How you can get your foot in the door!

Keith Ammann is the author of the popular D&D 5e blog “The Monsters Know What They’re Doing” which breaks down the stat blocks of all creatures in the monster manual and how you might best use them in combat encounters.

The blog’s popularity led to Keith writing a series of books on the subject, including "MOAR! Monsters Know What They're Doing", ”Live to Tell the Tale” for player tactics, and most recently “How to Defend Your Lair”, talking about dungeon, stronghold, and other structures and their purposes and layouts to make your players think strategically.

Lex has been interested in game design since they started playing TTRPGs! After getting started with subclasses and other 5e home brews, they decided to try designing new games, and Caltrop Core was born!

Since October, over 100 games and counting have been made on Caltrop Core, including many during Lex's first game jam. To see those games and make your own, check out the links below!

Robert has learned a lot about reigning in and redirecting chaos as the DM for Viva La Dirt League's "NPC D&D" game. He's been running games for a few years, and a connection got him in touch with the VLDL crew which has helped him make D&D his full time gig!

Robert streams frequently throughout the week, homebrewing content, reading supplements and books about the game, and breaking down his latest session with the VLDL team. He also wrote and directed the "D&D Logic" YouTube series that makes fun of some of the goofier parts of the game.

Todd Stashwick is an incredibly talented actor and writer with over 120 credits on IMDB and counting! He’s played hardened villains, brooding anti heros, loveable protagonaists, and most importantly, D&D!

Todd has some really good tips on making your improv and roleplay more intentional, and has shared the table with some incredibly talented people like Liam O’Brien, Satine Phoenix, Jasmine Bhullar, Patrick Warburton, and many more he mentions in this episode.

Guy Sclanders is a seasoned TTRPG content creator who has recorded thousands of hours of Youtube content, written books, and created his own games and supplements for other games.

Guy is an incredible improvisor who comes up with characters at the drop of a hat and has dozens of accents at his disposal to make the characters come to life. I’ve been watching his videos for years, and am really excited to have him on as a season two guest.

CW: Hamilton's friends, 'Backwater Bastards' are mentioned a few times, and there's a couple jokes about drinking and smoking "like teenagers do", all in fun. May not be suitable for very small ears.

Hamilton is such a creative force in the TTRPG community! It seems like ever month he's cooked up some new amazing content for everyone to enjoy. His game show Dragon's Duel is really unique in the space, and has spawned numerous spinoff streams and project that Hamilton and his friends are working on right now! Check out his vibrant discord community and his latest season of Dragon's Duel, which is a combination actual play and game show!

Tim Roven's project, Tabletop Audio, has been listened to on all seven continents! There are thousands of users looking for great ambiences for their TTRPGs, but Tim has also heard from school teachers, parents, writers, researchers, and more that his soundscapes have made their lives easier. 

Tabletop Audio is such a great tool to improve your game's immersion! Whether you're using it at home, or looking for something professional for your own podcast or stream, Tim has something for you!

Johnny has been playing D&D since his college days, and has now graduated to running games for NFL teammates along with family and friends. His stories about finding people to play with in a pro sports locker room and advice on running games is definitely worth listening to, and his Fantasy team, the Waterdeep Wyverns, are going to give my Neverwinter Nightmares a run for their money this season!

Season 2 Starts January 12th!

This week's guest is... me! And features the lovely Rachel, my partner, as my guest host. Rachel grilled me on my origins, the good and bad parts of my game, and we chatted about fun moments from our home games we share together. 

This is the Season One Finale! Thank you so much fo every single listener. Thanks for sharing the show with friends and family, for being my friend, and for taking the time to enjoy mu guests' amazing advice, stories, and experiences. You're what make this show!

Sponsor Links

This episode’s guest is Steph, creator of the TTRPG Kids blog. Steph created the site to compile games for kids, and has started a lot of other cool projects along the way, including reviewing tons of different indie games geared for kids and creating games of her own!

TTRPGKids Links

When Beth started playing D&D she quickly discovered the vampire module, Curse of Strahd, and just as quickly found it to be problematic. She started small with making changes in her own game as she ran it, and as she made more changes, decided to try and put all her thoughts and ideas together for others to use too! Thus, "She is the Ancient" was born!

After getting a little taste of the thrill of publishing in the TTRPG world, Beth has dived into working on numerous other projects. Whatever she's working on next, you won't want to miss it!

Beth the Bard's Links

This show’s guest is Ty, DM of Side Character Quest!

His show is unique among actual play podcasts because it features many different guests playing the roles of side characters in his world, and each game is a self contained story and played with one DM and one player.

Ty has been a great friend to me personally as well, giving me podcast advice as I had questions because he’s been at this longer than me. If you’re an aspiring podcaster or DM, there’s bound to be something he says that resonates with you.

Side Character Quest Links

This episode’s guest is the multi-talented Fiona, host of two TTRPG podcasts! What Am I Rolling, and The DM’s Book Club.

Fiona has run several dozen TTRPG systems as part of her podcasts, which gives her a very unique perspective on running games and the role of the GM.

She’s also interviewed some incredible people from the TTRPGs, and written for Dragon+, the official WoTC D&D magazine. Watch out for her to make big waves in the community in the near future!

Fiona's Links

Russell is the DM of a brand new D&D Actual Play and stream called Spawn of Chaos! Born from a spark of ingenuity and kept alive by the sheer willpower of the cast and crew, Spawn of Chaos is an upstart show with lofty ambitions.

Russell himself is quite the character, and has been dreaming up fantasy worlds and practicing crazy character accents since he was a kid. You could saw he’s been working for years on his craft, and it shows.

Spawn of Chaos Links

Julian and his team have been working non-stop on their brand new TTRPG - Dark Veil.

We talked about creating a TTRPG from the ground up, what it’s like to start and run a game publishing company, and much more!

Julian / Dark Veil Links

Di found TTRPGs a few years ago, and fell in love with the narrative style possibilities for creation. She’s been playing, writing, and running TTRPGs ever since.

Di also had the unique and challenging opportunity to judge 2021’s ENnie nominations, and worked hard with her four counterparts to select the best of the best from each of the categories.

We talk about her gaming experience, and also about the hundreds of hours she committed to playing, reading, and judging all of the 400+ submissions this year.

Fernando and Matthew together make the dynamic homebrew duo that is Abyssal Brews! They’ve been churning out magic items and homebrew rules and add-ons for D&D 5e since February, and show no signs of stopping!

We chatted about what they each bring to the table, their TTRPG journeys, and much more. Check out their website for links to their cool creations, or follow them on Twitter to track their normal updates and musings!

B. Dave Walters is TTRPG Royalty, and not just because he’s a pretty face! If he’s not your favorite GM/DM and player, look that person up now, and chances are they’ve played with B. Dave at some point.

He’s been a player, GM, designed games for, and produced some of the most popular TTRPG streams to date, which means his advice and experience are worth their weight in gold coins.

B. Dave's Links

Shaun has been playing TTRPGs for a few years now, and saw a need for players to have a quick reference of their own to remember rules, conditions, and more while playing D&D. He couldn't find anything out there that solved the problem, so he set out to create the 5E Player's Screen! The screen is meant for neurodivergent players but also helps players new and old remember rules and have more fun at the table!

Shaun also runs streamed games with awesome guests and has a few other cool projects he's working on for next year, so make sure to follow him to keep up!

Weston has been making music far longer than he's been playing TTRPGs, so it makes sense that the niche he saw he could fill in the community was bringing awesome free music for everyone to use in their own games! Weston's free to use RPG music and parody videos have been spread far and wide across the internet. Chances are you have seen him with his signature scarves and hilarious song parodies before!

Hope is a force for good in the TTRPG community! She got her start as a podcaster, got into the social media marketing side, and as her podcast crew decided to go on hiatus, she looked for new ways to get involved! Hope and friends created the #ttrpgfamily hashtag and an incredible community of creators all intent on supporting each other and growing together.

On a personal note, I've seen a lot of growth and felt the incredible source of support from the community! If you're looking to get into creating anything TTRPG related, this should be your first stop!

This episode’s gust is Michael, aka Declan Feralborn from Feralborn Trading Company! Michael has been homebrewing items for his account for almost two years now after getting back into TTRPGs a few years ago. His Instagram page is full of awesome items, subclasses, ideas, and more, which make for amazing inspiration in your own games. 

Michael has also met lots of really supportive people from his time creating content, and is friends with the other homebrewers of Instagram. He also has participated in some streamed games, so go check those out!

Jenny is a really funny person which means that both her D&D games and her TikTok content are must-sees. I laughed out loud in my first scroll through her videos and knew I wanted to get her on the show so she could impart her wisdom and wit to all of you.

Her streamed game, The Tabletop Tavern is entering its third and final act, so make sure to tune in when they're streaming, and also make sure to catch the upcoming games and streams Jenny will be participating in coming soon! 

Ben is a content creator for D&D 5e that has some awesome advice on getting started in the TTRPG publishing game! Ben has been doing it for a while, and has some great ideas for spicing up your D&D game, making sure you and your players are aligned, and building memorable encounters.

If you're looking for tips on writing content for DM's Guild, Drivethru RPG, or want to get a Kickstarter off the ground, listen up! 

Ben's Links:

Josh and I talked about a ton of different things including why anything you create has worth, Kickstarter advice, and his best advice on being an amazing Dungeon Master. If you're looking for creative motivation, listen to this interview and let Josh pump you up!

Josh has been a part of or the driving force behind two incredibly well-loved and well-made actual-play D&D podcasts; Sneak Attack and the Titans of All'Terra! Titans is entering its third and final season, and Josh and cast are hard at work!

Mike is the English teacher you wish you had in school, the kind who you could talk TTRPGs with after class! He started playing TTRPGs when he was a kid and hasn't stopped since. He first discovered play by post TTRPGs when his life became too busy for a weekly game.

Mike talks about what makes play by post so appealing to players who have 5 games going on at a time or none. We also talk about how to avoid the pitfalls of consent in gaming and how to make sure everyone feels welcome and safe in your game.

Benjamin knew a few things when he started Lawful Great Adventures. He wanted to flip the typical TTRPG trope of going on an adventure to some unknown place and instead made it a journey home, and he wanted to really lean into the cast when he was crafting the story so the world was as real to his players as it was to him. 

We chatted about these choices, as well as about what he might have changed if he could go back and start all over again. Not that he wants to, but he's got a few ideas and tricks up his sleeve for anyone thinking of making the plunge into Actual Play podcasts.

Cam Banks is an incredibly accomplished game designer who spends his time creating games out of the movies, TV shows, and books he loves. He's authored over 20 different games and supplements for properties such as Marvel, The Masters of the Universe, Dragonlance, Smallville, Serenity, and more.

Robert is a modern renaissance man who is working on tons of different projects at once. He's got a Twitch channel that he streams on daily, both video games and D&D, and also has his own podcast where he talks to D&D content creators and Dungeon Masters. His episode focuses on his learnings as a newer DM, and he made great points about the communication between the DM and players and how that can improve everyone's experience at the table.

Robert is also a proud dad of two kids and five dogs, works at Universal Studios, is working on his marketing degree, and finds some time for sleep in between all of that. 

Kevin has been flexing his storytelling muscles for ten years now in a few different ways, and started running games in his homebrew world of Edeah in 2017. Kevin runs his game live on Twitch, participates as a player in another livestream game called the Ruined Keep, and records D&D advice podcasts with his good friend and player Nicola. 

Kevin lives in the Netherlands, and has tons of great advice for starting to play and making your world feel more real and vibrant. 

HN2DM Linktree and Affiliate Links

Shedayne and Alley have been working on their passion project, Bramble Bush Books, for a few years now and love creating new content for players and DMs alike. They are also co-DMs in a sprawling, 20+ player West Marches game which helps tie in that large amount of characters into a cohesive and satisfying storyline.