Hi everyone! It's been a great summer, but I'd like to get started back with blog posts. The "Quick Fix" articles will cover common Dungeon Master problems along with my solutions to them. In addition, my goal is to keep each piece to 500 words or less in order to improve readability and hone my writing and editing skills.
The Rats in the Basement Problem
It's the first session of a new D&D game. The brave heroes are sitting around a tavern, looking for a quest. The innkeeper approaches, offering fifty gold pieces to deal with an infestation of giant rats in her basement.
The Core Issue
It's difficult to come up with an engaging adventure for low-level characters. Their mediocre combat abilities and skills make them unable to deal with large-scale challenges. Thus, Dungeon Masters often present them with an easy adventure in order to "level them up" to the point where they can slay dragons and save the world.
Here's the problem: adventures like "Rats in the Basement" are boring! When players feel like their actions are unimportant or the adventure is uninteresting, they stop caring about the game.
The Rats in the Basement Problem
It's the first session of a new D&D game. The brave heroes are sitting around a tavern, looking for a quest. The innkeeper approaches, offering fifty gold pieces to deal with an infestation of giant rats in her basement.
The Core Issue
It's difficult to come up with an engaging adventure for low-level characters. Their mediocre combat abilities and skills make them unable to deal with large-scale challenges. Thus, Dungeon Masters often present them with an easy adventure in order to "level them up" to the point where they can slay dragons and save the world.
Here's the problem: adventures like "Rats in the Basement" are boring! When players feel like their actions are unimportant or the adventure is uninteresting, they stop caring about the game.
