How to Build F$&%ing Awesome Encounters!
Finally, after thousands and thousands of words, I actually build a f$&%ing encounter. Here’s how to actually put together a good encounter.
Four Things You’ve Never Heard of That Make Encounters Not Suck
Once you know how to resolve actions, the next thing you need to figure out is how to stick those actions together into something accomplishes a goal. And that brings us to: the encounter.
Adjudicate Actions Like a Motherf$&%ing Boss!
This is it, the big one, the massive motherf$&% that tells you how to think like a GM. How do you handle it when a character does absolutely anything? You read this f$&%ing article!
Abstract Dungeoneering
What do you do when the dungeon is so large that it isn’t practical to map it all? I mean, if you were running an adventure in the Mines of Moria, would you seriously draw the whole goddamned thing? Of course not! Here’s a way to handle dungeon exploration without giant, useless maps.
The Memory Game
I hate reading long, drawn out player back-stories that go nowhere. Holy s$&%. Why do players think they are novelists? Here’s a simpler way to get useful backstories without a lot of useless extra drivel.
5 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenaged Skill System
Most GMs have no idea how to properly use the skill/action resolution in their game. And that’s a pretty f$&%ing major thing not to know. Let me school you.
Defining Your Game
What does the phrase role-playing actually mean? What is the difference between ‘good’ role-playing and ‘bad’ role-playing? Does rolling dice really spell an end to role-playing? I’ll tell you.
The D&D Boss Fight (Part 4)
The Angry DM finally gets his act together and writes down a set of useful rules and guidelines for Boss Monster design and throws in a red dragon as a bonus.
Schrödinger, Chekhov, Samus
If you have ever wanted to create a large, site-based super adventure, The Slaughterhouse System is for you. Whether your party is exploring a massive dungeon, reclaiming a ruined city, clearing a valley for settlement, or trying to bring a rioting city under control, the Angry DM has a tool that you can use to plan a dynamic, living environment for the party to explore freely.
The D&D Boss Fight (Part 3)
At long last, The Angry DM finally presents a prototype boss monster. Meet Bloodknuckles.
The D&D Boss Fight (Part 2)
Solo monsters are still not quite reaching their full potential in 4th Edition. In this article, The Angry DM looks at how to create dynamic, epic solo encounters with the assistance of an angry Spartan.
The D&D Boss Fight (Part 1)
The solo monsters in Dungeons & Dragons, 4E, seem cool. They SEEM cool. But they’ve got some serious flaws. Let’s rip ’em apart so we can build something better.