Episodes

Thursday Jun 15, 2023
Ep70: Running Resource Restricted Games
Thursday Jun 15, 2023
Thursday Jun 15, 2023
Whether it's time, money, food and water, or other resources, running a resource restricted game can add a new dimension at your table. In addition to making player choices matter, restricting resources can cause combat to be more challenging. Join John and Danielle to hear about the ways you can add restrictions into your game! Don't forget about our contest to win a 34.5x48 battle mat. You can enter to win by submitting your idea for a new episode at https://becomingDM.com/ideas

Thursday Jun 01, 2023
Ep69: Encouraging Player Collaboration
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
When players don't get along, it can make your session take forever to get anywhere. Whether it's simply buying in that everyone is on the same team or having a decision mechanism when players don't agree on something, encouraging player collaboration is critical. In this episode, John and Danielle talk about the tips and techniques that they use to get players to work together.
Don't forget! We want to hear from you! If you have an idea for a new episode topic, go to https://becomingDM.com/Ideas and let us know!

Friday Jan 20, 2023
Ep68: My Favorite Monster - The Good Guys
Friday Jan 20, 2023
Friday Jan 20, 2023
Join us for another episode of our occasional series, My Favorite Monster. In this episode we're talking about good-aligned monsters that you can put against your evil party. Whether it's the always classic Unicorn or the lesser known Guardian Naga, we've got something that you can challenge your players with. So join John and Danielle for this latest episode of becomingDM!

Friday Dec 23, 2022
Ep67: Play Something Different
Friday Dec 23, 2022
Friday Dec 23, 2022
As hard as it may be to believe, D&D isn't the only tabletop roleplaying game around. So it's possible that you'll end up in a place where you want to play something different at your table. In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle discuss the things to consider when changing game systems. From the why you're changing to the aspects of the new game you might consider, we're covering it, so please join us!
We'd love to hear what you'd like for us to talk about in a future episode! Go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas to let us know your idea for a new topic!

Friday Dec 09, 2022
Ep66: When Players Leave Your Table
Friday Dec 09, 2022
Friday Dec 09, 2022
Eventually you will have a situation where players need to leave the table that you're running a game at. Whether it's because of life changes that don't give them as much time for games or because of a personality conflict or one of the many other reasons, when a player leaves there are several things that you need to plan for. In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle talk about working through player departure, what to do with their character, how to handle the player leaving, and much more.
If you've got an idea for an episode, we'd love to hear about it! Go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas to let us know what you'd like us to talk about in a future episode!

Thursday Nov 10, 2022
Ep65: It’s a Trap!
Thursday Nov 10, 2022
Thursday Nov 10, 2022
Want to add a little more variety and challenge as the players move up to the final encounter of a dungeon? Adding a trap, or more than one, to your dungeon can increase immersion, and cause your players to think twice about where they step. In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle talk about the different aspects to consider when looking to place traps.
Got an idea for a future episode? We'd love to hear about it! Go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas to share your ideas and let us know what you'd like to hear about!

Thursday Oct 27, 2022
Ep64: Running Games for First Time Players
Thursday Oct 27, 2022
Thursday Oct 27, 2022
Maybe you've had some co-workers that you've been trying to get to play a game with you for some time. Or maybe some friends knew that you run games and just recently watched something that raised their interest in tabletop gaming. Whatever the reason, if you're running games for first time players there are a number of things that you need to consider. Join John and Danielle as we discuss how to let new players know what to expect from a game, how to build a character, how to talk about rules, and so much more!
Got an idea for a future episode? Let us know! Go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas to submit your episode idea today!

Friday Oct 07, 2022
Ep63: Running Thanksgiving Themed Games
Friday Oct 07, 2022
Friday Oct 07, 2022
Gobble gobble! It's the time of year when many DMs think about running Thanksgiving Themed Games! In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle discuss some things to keep in mind if you're wanting to create a themed game as well as suggestions of possible story themes. Whether it's helping to save dinner or having a rousing game of football, we've got something to help add flavor to your Thanksgiving themed game.
We would love to hear your ideas for future episodes! If you've got an idea for a future episode, please go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas and let us know!

Thursday Sep 22, 2022
Ep62: Intimate Encounters
Thursday Sep 22, 2022
Thursday Sep 22, 2022
Sometimes you'll end up running a game where the players want to have some intimate encounters. Whether this is because they are trying to flirt with the local governor to get their way or dealing with a succubus or maybe they have tried to start a sexual relationship with one of your PCs this is something to approach with a level of caution. In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle talk about suggestions on starting games that may have intimate encounters as well as things to consider when implementing them in your game. This episode was suggested by one of our listeners and you can submit your ideas too! Simply go to https://becomingDM.com/ideas to submit your idea for a new episode now!

Thursday Sep 08, 2022
Ep61: When Characters Buy Property
Thursday Sep 08, 2022
Thursday Sep 08, 2022
Eventually, your characters will get enough money that they want to do something with it. Rather than figuring out how much an army costs, you can redirect them to look at buying property. In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle talk about what happens when characters buy property. We go over a number of resources, including Danielle's most favorite RPG book of all time, and help you as a DM start to think about what needs to be addressed if this happens in your game.
As always, if you have an idea for a future episode of becomingDM, please let us know! Go to https://becomingdm.com/ideas and let us know what you've got!