Next in our string of death and defeat posts, we wanted to work through some ways that DMs can enhance the drama and tension of failure without wiping everyone out. Especially in one-on-one games, where the death of the primary character could result in the end of a game, it’s a good idea to keep non-deadly stakes on the table. What follows are a few ideas on increasing dramatic tension through the threat of non-deadly (at least for the party) failure.
Posts
Dealing with PC Death
This post discusses what to do if your primary character dies and how to have a plan in advance for narratively solving PC death, especially to avoid conflict with your duet partner.
Deadly Stakes (and why you should have them)
The ever-present threat of death lends a satisfying weight to the choices we make in tabletop games. Mortality ultimately lends a sweetness to life.
Incorporating Multiple Eras in Your Homebrew World
Part of creating a vibrant, full world is working with multiple timelines. Just as understanding the past allows us to make sense of our political, cultural, and personal present, knowing your game world’s history helps you to determine conflicts, alliances, trade relationships, religious practices, and more. In this post, we will work through some practical steps and questions for thinking through these past eras.
Worldbuilding on Patreon
We all know how time-consuming planning a campaign can be, and that investment increases even further when you’re creating your own world! That’s where we come in! On our Patreon, we’ll be creating unique mini-adventures each month that can easily be inserted into your homebrew campaign or can add variety and intrigue to an officially-published campaign.
Third Time’s the Charm: A Duet Adventure
The third installment of our introductory duet campaign series is now available for download on DMsGuild! Third Time’s the Charm takes you through the forest and tests what you’re willing to do for what matters most to you.
How to Keep Combat Exciting
Some ideas about how you can make sure combat in your game of Dungeons and Dragons remains as exciting as it should.
Keeping Romance on the (Gaming) Table
In this post, I break down a few different ways to RP sex and sexuality in-game. From fading to black to a detailed manuscript, there are multiple methods for incorporating characters’ intimate practices into their in-game character development so long as you and your duet partner are on board for what that looks like in the game world and at the table.
