We have something really special and different to share with you! A podcast episode! Jonathan sat down with Dan of the Quips’n’Crits Network for the first episode of their new show, Getting Quipy, where Dan talks to world-builders and artists in the D&D-verse. Dan and Jonathan talk about one-on-one play in detail; we hope you enjoy!
Playing a Duet
Earth Month Giving & One Tree Planted
In this post, we announce that we’re giving 100% (!) of our profits to OneTreePlanted for Earth Month! As part of that announcement, we walk through our sales on DMsGuild thus far, breaking down paid and unpaid downloads and averages for sales.
Character-Driven vs World-Driven Conflict in your Duet Game
This post looks at the differences between a fantasy world that’s driven by characters’ internal state or external circumstances. In it, we also ask some deeper questions: What do you believe about D&D or other RPGs? About literature, fiction, storytelling? What kind of stories do you think the world needs more of?
Resources for New DMs: Researching an Encounter
In this post, I walk through a few resources to get you going on your journey as a DM. These are the pages I found most helpful when I was starting out. I also talk about how I found them, going through which search terms I used to find what I was looking for.
How to Negotiate DM and Player Preferences
It is no secret that there are many different playing styles when it comes to D&D and RPGs. When you’re playing in a duet, however, the style preferences of the player and the DM become even more important, which opens up the fun and possibilities for both people involved.
5 DM Tips for Running Your First Game
To help you bring the fun and reduce the pre-session jitters, here are a few things that I think are helpful to keep in mind.
Avoiding Combat-Induced Conflict
Combat can be both a time of high excitement and high stress, especially during a boss fight or new challenge. This post examines why combat can sometimes incite out-of-game conflict between the two people playing. We also work through some strategies for avoiding it if possible and dealing with it if it occurs. At the end of the day, avoiding combat-induced conflict comes down to trust and communication between the player and DM.
Adding Secondary PCs to Your Duet
This post discusses what secondary PCs are, how you can incorporate them into your game, and why you might want to. Secondary PCs are a great way to develop DMPCs and sub-plots in your duet. They can also give you some breathing room if you need more time to prep a setting or major event.