CHAINMAIL: 11.03.2023

What Is Tested? - Goblin Punch

"When designing a dungeon, one question you should ask yourself is: What am I testing for?"

That's what this article is about. Understanding how you are testing your players/their characters and what you are actually testing is crucial to improving your dungeon design. Take some time to ask the questions mentioned in this article and use those answers to take it to the next level.

The Secret to "Balanced" Combat Encounters in D&D 5e - Bob World Builder

Stop letting encounter "balance" hold your game back from reaching its true potential. I can say a lot here, but the video does a really great job so I think I'll just let Bob explain it. I'll just hit you with the Tl;DR: Your players should be balancing your combat encounters, not the GM.

eXPloration - Jeff's Gameblog

I am a major XP apologist. Go ahead, enjoy your milestone leveling, I won't stop you. But for the sandbox games I run, XP all the way. That's why this article resonated with me so much. Jeff outlines a fantastic additional way to hand out XP in your game. The thing to remember about any reward is that one of the most important aspects is not the reward itself but the action that is being rewarded. this establishes the feedback loop and motivates your players in a general direction. This is one of the main complaints people have with XP leveling since traditionally it motivates only combat. It's systems like what this article outlines that allow you to push beyond that mindset and into alternate modes of play.

I hope these resources inspire you! If you haven't already, the best way to stay up to date with everything hothead-related is to join the discord. See you next week!