

Taking 20 Podcast
Taking 20 Podcast
Short, bite-sized RPG advice, tips, and tricks for DMs and players of tabletop role playing games (TTRPG)
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 14, 2021 • 20min
Ep 64 - Monster Series - Beholders - The Eyes Have It
Dive into the fascinating world of Beholders, those floating, formidable creatures from Dungeons & Dragons! Discover their unique magical abilities and the tactical paranoia that makes them challenging adversaries. Learn how to creatively integrate them into your campaigns, exploring their strategically designed lairs filled with traps. With the potential for thrilling adventures, this discussion also encourages the customization of various beholder types for a richer gaming experience!

Mar 7, 2021 • 16min
Ep 63 - High vs Low Magic Campaigns
You may have heard the terms "High Magic" and "Low Magic" when describing adventure settings but what does that even mean? Is LSD involved? Where would I even score any at 8:33 a.m. on a Sunday? Good news is that it's just a way of thinking about the prevalence of magic in your campaign. Just come on in and have a listen.

Feb 28, 2021 • 17min
Ep 62 - Vetting Players and DMs
Once you find a potential DM or players, how do you know they will be the right ones for your game? How do you know the game will be the right one for you? In this episode Jeremy discusses questionnaires, interviews, and meetings to find a good match.

Feb 21, 2021 • 14min
Ep 61 - Improve Your Cliffhangers with These 3 Strategies
Should you use cliffhangers to entice your players? If so, how and how often? Fear not. This short episode has got all of that covered. Give it a listen and don't forget to subscribe and provide comments and feedback!

Feb 14, 2021 • 19min
Ep 60 - Monster Series - Lich Better Have My Money
Happy Valentine's Day! The Monster Series resumes this time focusing on those alpha dogs of the necromantic RPG world: liches. How do DMs use them in their campaign? What tactics should they take on the battlefield? Tune in and find out.

Feb 7, 2021 • 18min
Ep 59 - Alignment and the Loss of Inherently Evil Creatures
Wizards of the Coast and Paizo have wisely removed some of the problematic depictions of ancestries and ethnicities, adding nuance to those previously portrayed as universally evil. How does that change our games and what does it mean for DMs?

Jan 31, 2021 • 20min
Ep 58 - The Evil Campaign
Delve into the allure of evil campaigns in role-playing games, with tips for Game Masters and players to navigate the challenges. Analyze illogical villain actions in movies like Pirates of the Caribbean and Star Wars Episode 3. Explore the dynamics of playing evil characters in RPG campaigns, emphasizing the importance of consequences and believable character motivations.

Jan 24, 2021 • 15min
Ep 57 - Quest and Adventure Design
This episode idea is courtesy of Daniel in Melbourne, Australia who wanted to know where I get my ideas for quests. In this episode, I talk about the different types of quests that you can run, sources for quest ideas, the importance of flexibility when it comes to quest solutions, and finally best practices for the two categories that all quests should fall under.

Jan 17, 2021 • 20min
Ep 56 - Character Optimization and Saying No as a DM
There's been a lot of character optimization discussion online the past couple of months. What is it? Should players always optimize their characters? On the flip side, DMs need to say yes to player choices, right? Not always. Jeremy discusses the situations when optimization may be necessary, encouragement for DMs to say yes to their choices when possible, and the powerful ability to say No when necessary.

Jan 10, 2021 • 20min
Ep 55 - Making Your Campaign World Feel Different from Earth
Another worldbuilding episode where we discuss ways you can make your campaign world feel different than the mundane rock we currently live on. Before you tackle making your first outlandish world, give this a listen!


