SplitScreen D&D

There's nothing wrong with tension and drama emerging through the actions of characters, but sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. We're talking about how we can use levity as PCs and DMs to enhance the entire experience.

As Players and DMs we don't always see eye to eye, but that shouldn't stop you from having great experiences at the table.

We're kicking off season 2 with a look at some awesome alternatives to 5e Dungeons and Dragons.

We've had a blast for these last 50 episodes and can't thank you enough for joining us.  As usual we're doing a top ten but this time with a twist.  Let's get spicy.

We fled in terror.  Our first foray into the dungeon proved more than we were prepared for, but we have returned, better provisioned and with the aid of you valiant commenters.

It may seem strange to willingly sign away some amount of our agency to another, be it a god, dark patron, king, family member, or friend.  We're discussing the opportunities that exist within these exchanges and why some of our favorite role play is born out of these arrangements.

Healing plays a massive role in the lethality or lack thereof in any ttrpg system.  Let's talk about why 5e needs to rethink how healing works.

The Internet has been a firestorm raging around WotC's new OGL, and frankly we can't blame 'em.  By all outward appearances WotC is creating an environment that is far less hospitable to 3rd party creators.

Information is power, but sometimes a lack of information is more powerful. So is there information that can detract from the player/DM experience, or is more information better?

We say it all the time... D&D is so much richer for the content and resources that surround it.  Here's some of our favorites from outside the official ecosystem.

A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Song_of_Ice_and_Fire TTRPG Resources DriveThru RPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/Blades in the Dark:  https://bladesinthedark.com/Mothership:  https://www.mothershiprpg.com/Dungeon Coach: https://thedungeoncoach.com/ Video Game Resources King's Quest: https://store.steampowered.com/app/10100/Kings_Quest_Collection/Hero's Quest: https://playold.games/play-game/heros-quest-so-you-want-to-be-a-hero/play/Sanitarium:  https://store.steampowered.com/app/284050/Sanitarium/Fallout:  https://store.steampowered.com/app/38400/Fallout_A_Post_Nuclear_Role_Playing_Game/Fallout 2:  https://store.steampowered.com/app/38410/Fallout_2_A_Post_Nuclear_Role_Playing_Game/XCOM: https://store.steampowered.com/sub/964/Baldur's Gate:  https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/379/Baldurs_Gate_The_Classic_Saga_Ultimate_Bundle/ Tools DerfDice:  https://derfdice.com/#/HomeSyrinscape:  https://syrinscape.com/Brian Ricks (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/user/12153031826Monument Studios: https://www.monumentstudios.net/Dynamic Dungeons: https://dynamicdungeons.com/f

Is 5e suffering from a DM shortage?  If so, what might be contributing to a DM exodus from the space, and what can be done to slow or reverse the process?

For ages the mighty XP has dominated the landscape, but many tables in 5e have moved to a milestone leveling system.  Is this indicative of a fundamental issue in the XP system that 5e has stratified?  What are the pros and cons of abandoning an age-old method of tracking character progression?  How do these systems reinforce or undermine the aims of your table?

It's half the damn name after all... so why are dungeons so important, and how has their role changed as the editions have come and gone.

We're doing it a little different for this top ten.  This time looking at some of our favorite character archetypes for protagonists.

You know the old advice.  You've probably heard it a thousand times.  "Never split the party."  We're sitting down to challenge that advice.

Is there a power discrepancy between martial characters and casters?  If there is, does it matter?  We're wading into the ongoing debate about martial vs. caster strength in D&D.

There are tons of options in the D&D landscape.  Races, classes, feats, abilities.  The choices that stand before us are almost limitless.  Or are they?  We're discussing the illusion of choice in D&D.

There's no question that technology shapes our world, and D&D is no exception.  While virtual environments offer many benefits, what do we lose as we take our games from real tabletops and into the virtual world.

High tier play in Dungeons and Dragons has garnered a bad reputation.  We're sitting down to examine if it deserves all the derision.

So, you've made a name for yourself as an adventurer and you're asking, "What now?"  Well... Mid-tier play... that's what.

Ahh, to be young again... Kicking off our series on the Tiers of Play, we're talking about low tier play and some of the benefits and challenges it presents.

In D&D it can be tough to delineate between what we know as players and what our characters know.  How well we maintain that barrier can have a huge influence at our tables and how we disseminate that information as DMs can make all the difference.

It's true, sooner or later we all meet our end.  At the D&D table this doesn't have the end.  We failed one too many death saves this week, so let's make the most of it.

Elf, Dwarf, Human, Orc?  Something more exotic perhaps?  It's episode 30 and to celebrate we're doing another top 10.  Top 10 D&D races. Let's go.

Okay, we'll admit it.  Lately we've been a little hard on 5e.  We've talked a lot about the things we'd change, tweak, add or remove.  Yet here we are, still rolling dice and telling stories beneath her beautiful banner.  The fact is there are plenty of reasons that we call 5e home.  Let's talk about 'em.

Lawful good?  Chaotic evil?  Labels are sooo 1990.  Let's take a peek at alignment in D&D and talk about how it's impacting our characters and worlds.

With the announcement of One D&D, we decided it was time to sit down and talk about the future of this hobby we love so much.

Dice rolls are the backbone of D&D, so it's easy to think that more is better.  In this episode the boys are sitting down examine the ways in which rolling more dice might actually be detracting from your enjoyment at the table.

C'mon who doesn't want to be great? The boys are sitting down to discuss the aspects that lend to a player or DMs greatness at the table.

The party is working hard to save this miserable world.  Maybe we should throw 'em a bone.  Josh and Tom are chewing on the importance of making rewards meaningful at our tables.

They say, "Location is everything." You know what? They're right.  The boys are talking about the importance of location in our worlds on this episode.

We're talking emotion and how we can wield it as a tool at our tables. Control your narrative through intentional emotional communication.

It's that time again.  Episode 20 and another top 10.  This time the boys are breaking down their favorite classes.  Will yours be on the list?

We're discussing the ways, both in and out of game, that we can enhance the immersive experience that is Dungeons and Dragons.

Look, it happens.  Sometimes you just get burnt out.  The boys are talking about burn out and how we can avoid it at our tables.

It's an unspoken rule, or maybe not so unspoken.  The DMPC has been a menace at many a D&D table.  Is there a way to bring long term meaningful DMPCs into your games without detracting from your players?  We're tackling that right here right now.

Josh and Tom are gazing back in time at old school D&D and discussing why we should consider bringing elements into our own games.

The Boys are invoking the arcane in this discussion of the lore and systems that make up the arcane arts in D&D.

Join the boys as they stumble into the dangerous world of Oneshots! While oneshots may be brief that's no reason to not give them the proper consideration.

So, what do you do when your party wants to make some amazing plays that might, technically, just a teensy bit, be outside of the scope of the rules?  We're sitting down to discuss the Rule of Cool!  Let's go.  New episodes every Friday.

What would a hero be without an adequate villain to challenge their resolve?  We're sitting down to discuss that exact topic on this episode of SplitScreen D&D.  Join us as we examine villains.

By request, the boys are talking about the importance of lore in the game world, both instantiating meaningful lore as a DM and consuming lore in meaningful ways as a player.

It's the 10th episode and to celebrate were running down our top ten monsters in D&D!  Thank you all so much for the support!

Hey, you wanna hack up some baddies, steal their stuff, sell it to buy better stuff, then use that better stuff to hack up stronger baddies?  You've come to the right place.  We're tackling the combat pillar in D&D so get comfy and let's roll initiative.

Who doesn't love a little exploration?  Dive in with the boys and let's 'explore' this pillar of Dungeons & Dragons.  (See what we did there?)  New episodes every Friday.

This kicks off our series discussing the three pillars of play in Dungeons and Dragons, social, exploration and combat.  In this episode were discussing the role that the social pillar plays in the broader experience as well as some considerations when actuating within this space. Grab a drink and let's get chatty.

Some rules should be bent, others broken.  Where do we draw the line when homebrewing elements into our games?  The boys are attacking this one with some sweet homebrewed gear.  Join 'em as they break down their thoughts on crafting your own features in D&D.

A D&D podcast isn't complete without addressing the elephant in the room, and by elephant we obviously mean the behemoth that is Critical Role.  The boys are sharing their thoughts on the harbingers of the modern era of D&D.  Is it Friday yet?

We get it, failing sucks. That's not going to stop the boys from trying to change your mind though.  Sit down and let's chat about failure in D&D, why it's important, and how you can turn those natural 1's into something amazing.  So grab your dice and let's roll like shit.