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You are here: Home / Archives for Dungeons & Dragons

The Architect DM: Seven Wonders of Your World

February 15, 2012 by Bartoneus

Whenever I get a chance I make a pointed effort to read about or look at a map of other DM’s and GM’s roleplaying game worlds. I find it fascinating to look at them both objectively and subjectively, to see things that I may never have come up with or elements that are similar to things in the worlds I’ve created. Over the last few years, I’ve noticed a handful of elements that pop up in the majority of people’s fantasy game worlds and these elements have been some of the inspiration for earlier world building posts in my Architect DM posts.

Filed Under: Featured, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: architect dm, DM advice, dnd, Dungeons & Dragons, Dungeons and Dragons, gm advice, roleplaying games, seven wonders, world building, worldbuilding

Why I’m Starting to Love Epic 4e D&D

September 22, 2011 by Bartoneus

I started playing and running 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons right as it was released. I started my current ongoing campaign back then with a party of 1st level characters and now three years later I’ve run over 50 adventures and the party is up to 24th level characters. The campaign has had its share of rough spots and tough times, but overall I’d say it has been an incredibly fun experience and something that I look forward to every other weekend. Dave was also running a campaign that was on the same track as mine only slightly ahead, but due to a myriad of reasons a few weeks ago we ran a day long, jointed finale that closed his game out in style and unrestrained awesomeness. What I’m discovering more and more over the last few weeks is that running epic level 4th Edition is some of the most fun I’ve ever had running or playing in any D&D game.

Filed Under: Roleplaying Games, The Architect DM Tagged With: 4e, 4th Edition, advice, D&D, DM, dnd, Dungeons & Dragons, Dungeons and Dragons, epic level, epic tier, GM, roleplaying games

The Geek Way

September 15, 2011 by Chris Sims

In most dictionaries, the definition of “geek” is way behind the times. It’s still classified a pejorative term that implies negative qualities or insular, intellectual behavior. Synonyms include dork, freak, nerd, and weirdo—basically a social misfit. The reason I say this sort of definition, and the people who still use it, are behind the times is because geek has been moving toward chic since Revenge of the Nerds (1984) was in theaters. As the dorks of the 80s grew up and became business leaders, computer specialists, game designers, scientists, writers, and other sorts of accomplished professionals, “geek” has become synonymous with success and disposable income.

Filed Under: Analysis Paralysis, Editorial, Featured, Roleplaying Games, Video Games Tagged With: 4e, D&D, Dungeons & Dragons, geek, roleplaying games, speak out

The Architect DM: Last Minute Planning

September 14, 2011 by Bartoneus

Charrette is a word that most likely means nothing to you, unless of course you studied Architecture or Design in school then it is a word that can mean quite a lot and the emotions it brings up vary widely from person to person. Charrette is a word used among architecture students to describe a design crunch/cramming session that derives from the French word for “cart”. The term became popular because schools in Paris would have carts pushed around to collect student’s drawings and it was not uncommon for students to continue working on their drawings for as long as possible by riding in the cart. For better or worse, the term has stuck through to this day and architecture students are still as bad as ever at finishing their projects before rigid deadlines.

Filed Under: Roleplaying Games, The Architect DM Tagged With: adventure, charrette, Crunch, D&D, DM advice, dnd, Dungeons & Dragons, Dungeons and Dragons, gm advice, last minute, planning, prep, preparation, roleplaying games, the architect dm

The Architect DM: On Dungeons

March 30, 2011 by Bartoneus

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the iconic “Dungeon” concept that many of us think of when we think of it in the context of Dungeons & Dragons. Also because only a month or two ago Dave wrapped up his 4E run through the Temple of Elemental Evil with custom mechanics to add to the “large dungeon crawl” feel of the adventures. Now I find my own campaign on the verge of the epic tier (the characters are currently level 19/20), and I am beginning to brainstorm a series of elemental dungeons that they will have to go through as a form of the Temple of Elemental Evil now fractured and embodied in five separate temples. Yes, I loved The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and I plan on stealing liberally from it.

Filed Under: Editorial, Featured, Roleplaying Games, The Architect DM Tagged With: architect dm, D&D, design, dnd, dungeon, dungeons, Dungeons & Dragons

4e Success or Failure: Magic Items

January 21, 2011 by Logan Bonner

Were 4e’s changes to magic items a success or a failure? Are they streamlined and lean, or boring and plain? Logan Bonner delineates where they went right and where they went wrong in revamping the classic treasures of D&D.

Filed Under: Featured, Minor Quests, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: 4e, 4E Success or Failure, 4th Edition, D&D, Dungeons & Dragons, Dungeons and Dragons, Roleplaying Games, roleplaying games

The Architect DM: World Building Basics

December 1, 2010 by Bartoneus

So far the Architect DM series has focused primarily on locations and building design, but today and over the next few weeks I’m going to take a look at the larger scale idea of world building and some factors that play into designing a realistic and believable world to play your games in. As with many of the design aspects I’ve talked about previously, designing a realistic world can feel like one of the most intimidating and daunting tasks to undertake but in reality if you apply principles correctly it can make your efforts easier and better at the same time.

Filed Under: Featured, Roleplaying Games, The Architect DM Tagged With: advice, architect dm, campaign, D&D, design, dnd, Dungeons & Dragons, railroad, roleplaying games, Roleplaying Games, sandbox, world building

Review: Essentials D&D “Heroes” Books

November 19, 2010 by Bartoneus

If you’re a 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons player then the two Essentials books that you most want to look at are Heroes of the Fallen Lands and Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms. Each book is presented in a similar style to a stand alone Player’s Handbook with Heroes of the Fallen Lands introducing new builds for the classic D&D classes (Clerics, Fighters, Rogues, and Wizards) while Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms introduces new builds for Druids, Paladins, Rangers, and Warlocks. Each of these books stands on its own perfectly well and you don’t need to buy both if you’re only interested in the classes presented in one of them.

Filed Under: Featured, Reviews, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: 4e, 4th Edition, books, D&D, dnd, Dungeons & Dragons, essentials, heroes of the fallen lands, heroes of the forgotten kingdoms, phb, player, player's handbook, Reviews

The Architect DM: Give It Some Structure

October 20, 2010 by Bartoneus

Today I’m going to focus on what could be considered the biggest and most important architectural element that anyone could use. As things go, this element may also be one of the most overlooked when it comes to dungeon design for home games or even in published adventures. I’m talking about structure, and not the kind that makes sure your adventure has a beginning, middle, and end (though it can help with that with surprising ways) but the kind that if it were simplified to its most common element: you could just call it columns and walls.

Filed Under: Featured, Roleplaying Games, The Architect DM Tagged With: advice, architect dm, building, D&D, design, dnd, Dungeons & Dragons, Location, Roleplaying Games, roleplaying games, structure

The Architect DM: Function & Playability

August 25, 2010 by Bartoneus

Welcome to the second installment of my series about applying real world design concepts to your own personal D&D or tabletop RPG world. Last week’s post was a relatively broad overview of the basic aspects to consider while designing a location. Today I would like to look at a different approach to designing locations, which involves thinking more about how the game will actually play out and how your players (and you as the DM/GM) will use and interact with the environment you’re creating.

Filed Under: Roleplaying Games, The Architect DM Tagged With: architect dm, architectDM, design, dnd, dungeon mastering, Dungeons & Dragons, encounter, encounters, Location, roleplaying games, Roleplaying Games

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About the Author

  • Bartoneus

    Danny works professionally as an architectural designer and serves as managing editor here at CH, which means he shares many of the duties of being an editor but without the fame and recognition. He also writes about RPGs, videogames, movies, and TV. He is married to Sucilaria, and has a personal blog at Incorrect Blitz Input. (Email Danny or follow him on Twitter).

    Email: bartoneus@critical-hits.comWeb: https://critical-hits.com//author/Bartoneus/

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