PODCAST · leisure
becomingDM
by becomingdm
A podcast for tabletop RPG dungeon masters and players. Episodes published every other week.
Episodes
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Ep103:Adding Music and Soundscapes to Your Game
Wow, there was a lot that was going on with both John and Danielle to get this episode out, but it's here now! John is joined by special guest Robert Spann to discuss something we have briefly touched on in other episodes: adding music and sounds to your games. They talk about things to consider...
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Ep102: Illness and Disease - Part 2
In the second part of our two-part episode on Illness and Disease, John and Danielle talk about implementing diseases into your games and some things to be aware of as you do so. Join us for this episode! If you've got an idea for a future episode of becomingDM, make sure to go to...
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Ep101: Illness and Disease - Part 1
Not only does adding illness and disease to you game provide additional flavor, it can provide a challenge by temporarily impacting the abilities of characters, especially higher level ones. In the first part of this episode on Illness and Disease, John and Danielle talk about how to justify...
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Ep100: Behind the Scenes
It's episode 100!!! Join John and Danielle as they take a look behind the scenes of the first 100 episodes of the show. You can find out how the show actually got started, how Danielle was selected to be co-host and you can even get a look into the gear that's used to record the show. Thank you…
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Ep99: Handling Missing Players
Throughout the course of your game you will have players that will occasionally not show up from time to time. Preparing for handling those missing players and how the character, story, and treasure experience changes as a result are really important to define before this happens so players and…
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Ep98: Creating Exciting Chase Scenes
Chases! Whether the party is trying to get away from the town guard or trying to prevent an enemy from escaping they can add a sense of excitement to the game. But how do you make a chase more exciting for everyone at the table? In this episode of becomingDM John and Danielle talk about the as...
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Ep97: Adding Inspiration to Your Game
Do you find yourself wanting to encourage certain behaviors in players? Whether it's roleplaying, heroics, or something different adding the Inspiration optional rule to your game may be just what you're looking for. Join us as John and Danielle talk through on the episode requested by listener...
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Ep96: Running Games for Large Groups (Part 2)
Part 2 is here! If you were waiting for the second half of our episode on running games for large groups, this is it! Join Danielle, John, and Robert as they continue the discussion and touch on skill checks, combat, and more for large parties at the table. Also learn why Danielle is a monster…
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Ep95: Running Games for Large Groups (Part 1)
Our episode about running games for large groups was so large we had to split it into two parts! In the first part of this discussion, Robert Spann joins John and Danielle to talk about whether you really need to have such a large group and some tips and tricks to keep players engaged if you have…
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Ep94: Running Heists
Heists can be a great way to add a sense of intrigue. But how do you add them to your game in a meaningful way? And how do you do so without it ending up being "the rogue show". John and Danielle talk about working backwards from the objective to plan out a heist adventure for your table. And…
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Ep93: Helping New Players Choose a Class
Join us as John and Danielle discuss this topic that was suggested by listener Robert Spann! If you're getting new players to your table, they probably don't know or understand the differences between the various classes that they can choose from. In this episode, we discuss different strategies...
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Ep92: Ending the Game
At some point you may need to end your campaign. Maybe you've come to the logical conclusion of the story for these characters, maybe people are needing to move away. Whatever the reason, how you end your game can have a big impact on how people look back on the game and you as a DM. Join John…
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Ep91: Laws and Morality
If you think about the world that your characters are moving through, there is probably some sort of legal structure that says what is allowed and what's not allowed. Within communities of the world there may be a moral structure that is in line with or counter to the laws of the land. In this...
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Ep90: Running Large Scale Combat Part 2
In part 2 of our Running Large Scale Combat episodes we continue the conversation digging deeper into what happens when the party members take on leadership roles in the military. Join us as John and Danielle further explore this topic! Got an idea for a future episode? We'd love to hear it! Go…
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Ep89: Running Large-Scale Combat
Are there large armies clashing in your world? If so, then eventually you may have the party getting involved with fighting them, so knowing how to run large scale combat is a useful skill for DMs. In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle talk about some options for how to run large scale...
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Ep88: Running Theater of the Mind Combat
Sometimes you don't have time to create a map for your combat encounters. Sometimes the players do something unexpected and get into a fight that you weren't prepared to put on the table in front of you. Sometimes you just don't have enough space to run the combat that you would like with minis…
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SQ6:How Much Time Does it Take to Plan a Session
We have seen several people curious about how long it actually takes to plan out a session lately. In this becomingDM side quest, John looks at the factors that can influence how long session planning takes and then reveals his average prep time. Join us for the side quest!
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Ep87: Running Play By Post Games
Are you finding that you have trouble scheduling games with your group and no one seems to be available at the same time? Or maybe you don't have the time to dedicate to a single long session. If that's the case, consider running play by post games. In this episode of becomingDM, John and…
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SQ5: Finding Local Games
Having trouble trying to figure out where to look for players for your game or where to find a game that you can play in or run? In this becomingDM side quest, John talks about some of his favorite places to look for people for local games. Join us to find your next game! Got an idea for a future...
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Ep86: Campaign Management
There is a lot of stuff that happens in your games every session. If you don't stay on top of managing your campaign, you could end up with players asking to revisit an NPC that you haven't thought about in months and don't really remember anything about. In this episode of becomingDM, John and...
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SQ4: The Feast
Spend enough time getting people together for game sessions and they're going to want to have some food. In this becomingDM side quest, John talks about the things to consider for food at the table and goes through some of the items that he has found have gone over well with the table. Join us…
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Ep85: Getting Unstuck - Part 2
This week we continue our discussion about getting your game unstuck. Whether you are still stuck on setting, your players are being an issue or anything else, we'll cover it and strategies to get yourself and your game unstuck. Additionally, John learns the term, "faffing about"! Join us for…
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SQ3: Play Something Different - Parsely
In this becomingDM side quest, John talks about a new game that you can use to play something different! Get ready for a game that mimics 80s style text-based computer games, but needs no computer with the game Parsely. If you want to get a copy of Parsely for yourself, make sure to go to...
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Ep84: Getting Unstuck - Part 1
Is your game filling you with a sense of dread when it's coming up, or even when you're running it? Do you find that you or your players just aren't having fun? In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle discuss the ways that DMs (and players) can get stuck in the game and how you can work...
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SQ2:5E Optinal Rules for Flanking
In this becomingDM Side Quest, John delves into optional rules for D&D 5e and talks about flanking. One of the standard rules that was left out from older versions of D&D and even pathfinder was how to handle when the party (or enemy) flanks their opponent. Check out this episode to see how the...
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Ep83: DM Screens
The age old question of whether you, as a DM, should use as a DM screen. What are the benefits? What are the drawbacks? What are some neat cool things you can do with them? In this episode of becomingDM we dive into the topic of DM screens with two different viewpoints: Danielle who is a staunch...
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SQ1: I, Toaster
In this becomingDM Side Quest, John talks about playing something different with the game I, Toaster. This will be a quick overview of the system with some highlights of the game play without getting into the nitty gritty details of the system.
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SQ0: Introducing BecomingDM Sidequests!
We're introducing something a little new here at becomingDM. Over the past several years we have found that there have been several topics that have come up that just didn't warrant a full episode. An introduction to a new game system, niche or custom rules, and a number of other topics have all...
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Ep82: Do You Need That Skill Check?
Tabletop role-playing games rely heavily on rolls to determine if characters are able to accomplish a task. Unfortunately, that can sometimes mean that DMs can be overzealous on asking for rolls for actions. In this episode, John and Danielle talk about some of the questions to ask yourself to...
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Ep81: Adding Crafting to Your Game
Whether it's a unique tool, a specialized non-magical weapon or something entirely different adding the custom crafting to your game is way to better engage your players in your game. Join Danielle and John as they talk about things to think about when you look at adding crafting to your game…
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Ep80: Decoding the Statblock
Have you found that your players deal with the enemies you set up a lot more easily than you would expect? Maybe it's just a matter of how you're reading the enemy stat blocks and incorporating them into your game. In this episode of becoming DM, John and Danielle walk through and show how…
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Ep79: Tabletop RPG Jargon
If you spend enough time around a group of people that play tabletop RPGs, eventually you'll find yourself in a situation where a variety of jargon is being used that you may not understand. This is especially prevalent in online forums where people talk about running games. In this episode of...
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Ep78: Running Games With a Co-DM
Running games with another DM can be a fun and exciting way to split up some of the work of a tabletop RPG. But how do you make sure that both you and your co-DM are on the same page? Or that you have an acceptable division of the work? In this episode of becomingDM John and Danielle explore the...
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Ep77: Moving from Player to DM
Have you been a player for awhile and decided that you wanted to give it a shot and move to being a DM? Whether it's looking for things that you didn't think about in the "job" of being a DM or just wanting some guidance on where to start, this episode is for you! Join John and Danielle as they...
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Ep76: Making Combat Interesting
After the thirtieth miss rolled by both you and the players you decide to end combat for the night because it just keeps dragging on. It doesn't have to be this way! In this episode of becomingDM, John and Danielle explore strategies to make combat more interesting. Whether it's adding to your...
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Ep75:Running Evil Campaigns Part 2
Haven't gotten enough evil yet? That's ok, we're not done! In part 2 of our discussion about running evil campaigns, Daniell and John continue talking about factions in evil games and about how to make sure that things are staying fun. Join us for the conclusion of our discussion on running evil...
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Ep74: Running Evil Campaigns Part 1
Sometimes your players are tired of being the good guys. Sometimes they just want to create a little mayhem and ignore the plight of the villagers. Sometimes they event want to BE the plight of the villagers! In this episode of becomingDM we're going to be talking about Running Evil Campaigns and...
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Ep73: AI Tools for DMs
Whether it's helping to create a stat block for an NPC you hadn't anticipated being part of your campaign or generating a list of items that the party found in a Goblin's pockest, AI tools allow DMs to add things to their game that would normally require a large amount of effort. In this episode,...
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Ep72: Make Exposition Fun
There's so much information to share with players about your world, especially with a new campaign. It may be tempting to just give players a massive document to get them up to speed, but don't do it! It's just as important how you deliver your exposition as it is what is in it. In this episode,...
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Ep71: Building the Table
There's a lot of different ways that you can increase and add to immersion in your table. In past episodes, we have made reference to a table that John built with a TV in the middle. In this episode, Danielle takes on the MC role and interviews John about questions she's always wanted answered…
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Ep70: Running Resource Restricted Games
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...
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Ep69: Encouraging Player Collaboration
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…
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Ep68: My Favorite Monster - The Good Guys
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...
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Ep67: Play Something Different
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…
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Ep66: When Players Leave Your Table
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...
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Ep65: It’s a Trap!
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...
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Ep64: Running Games for First Time Players
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…
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Ep63: Running Thanksgiving Themed Games
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...
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Ep62: Intimate Encounters
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...
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Ep61: When Characters Buy Property
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...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
A podcast for tabletop RPG dungeon masters and players. Episodes published every other week.
HOSTED BY
becomingdm
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does becomingDM have?
becomingDM currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is becomingDM about?
A podcast for tabletop RPG dungeon masters and players. Episodes published every other week.
How often does becomingDM release new episodes?
becomingDM has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to becomingDM?
You can listen to becomingDM on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts becomingDM?
becomingDM is created and hosted by becomingdm.
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