The Dungeon Direction – What makes a Good Player?

I was at dinner this last week with some friends who don’t play D&D and one of them asked me what makes a good player. At the time I didn’t have a good answer. I said something to the effect of “They’re engaged,” but I’ve since come up with a much better explanation of what makes a good player.

The Dungeon Direction – Curse Your Sudden But Inevitable Betrayal

A while back, I had an idea for a character who was an absolute genius, but acted like a complete idiot. His name was Bob. After the first session of playing him, I talked to my DM about having him be a secret agent for one of the factions. I didn’t know what faction, just that I felt like he should have a reason for acting like an idiot. My DM went over the different factions with me, and I finally settled on one: the Dark Hand, also known as the main antagonists of the campaign.

The Dungeon Direction – It’s Just a Game

Have you ever had a session where you or someone else gets frustrated with the DM for “trying to kill us” or there’s an argument about a ruling because it means life or death? Or maybe you’re the DM and you’re getting frustrated with a player for being “too powerful.”

The Dungeon Direction – Session Zero

Weekly D&D advice column, go!

Before you start your campaign, you need to know a few things. First, what setting is the game set in? Is this a standard fantasy adventure, or is it sci-fi? Maybe there are gods in the world, maybe there’s one, and maybe there’s none. Then you have to figure out a system. Are you using D&D? If so, which edition? Maybe you made your own system that is definitely balanced and works well. Maybe you want to try one of the new indie game systems like Blades in the Dark. Who are the players and who are they playing? When are you meeting? How often?