19 Hits the Dragon

2 Sides of the Same Coin Part 1

I had the good fortune of connecting with our intrepid DM for this One-Shot Zac Harrison a.k.a. @Conan_Lybarian a while back and cracking random trading card pack with him and and Hannah and then concepting a One Shot based around the cards we pulled from the pack.  Today we bring you a play through of that very One-Shot that Zac has put together using the concepts we came up with in that pack cracking session. 
I am also delighted to welcome back some of our guests from this season! Alex Rodriguez of Two Weeks One Shot, David Stallings of Pair-o-Dice Lost, David Easley of Trials of the Apocalypse, and Ryan Johnson a DMs Guild writer and D&D blogger have all returned to the show to play through this adventure with us. Joining us on the podcast for the first time is our astounding Editor and my wonderful spouse Hannah Miller.
In Part One of this story, our group of adventurers is out on the town celebrating and cavorting after a successful job when they are approached by 2 factions, each asking them to spy on the other and uncover the mysteries behind the strange deaths in their town because, as every good businessperson knows, death is bad for business.
A huge thanks to our returning guests. You can find more about them from the links below. 
More from Zac can be found here: https://conan-lybarian.itch.io/corner-office and https://www.obsidianportal.com/profile/Conan_Lybarian
Two Weeks One Shot: https://linktr.ee/twoscast
Pair-o-Dice Lost: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbuMY4gfqrm6_WNxoWkR1Iw, or https://anchor.fm/p0dlost
Trials of the Apocalypse: https://pod.link/1546812050
RJ Quest Giver Blog: https://rjquestgiver.weebly.com/
The music in todays episode was recorded and released by Ivan Duch, you can find more his music here: https://ivanduch.com/linktree/
All Sound effects courtesy of https://freesound.org/
As always a big thank you to Paul Mackie for our rocking intro and outro themes and to the wonderful Hannah Miller for editing this all together. If you've enjoyed this Actual play and departure from our usual discussion episodes leave a comment or review letting us know or you can connect with me on twitter @19HitstheDragon to tell me what you think. But the best way to help the show is of course to go out and tell 19 of your closets friends to listen.

Season 2 Episode10: Let‘s Build a Better World Together

The TTRPG space is full of interesting and unique settings where your games can take place but sometimes the story you want to tell doesn't quite fit into any of the established locations and you need to set out for new waters and establish a land of your very own.  World building is a time honored tradition in the sci-fi/fantasy realm and something that we as TTRPG creators have a unique position in. 
Today I am joined by Jon Hodgson founder and owner of Handiwork Games and the creative force behind the ENnie nominated book "Beowulf: Age of Heroes." Jon joins me today to talk about his experience crafting the world of Beowulf with his team and impart his experience and wisdom on to you dear listener.
We chat about many different aspects that go into world building, choices to be made or deliberately not made and saved for later; how the story you want to tell with your players has an impact on your game; the places, peoples, and conflicts that are to be found in your setting.
If you're interested in checking out Beowulf: Age of Heroes, or any other of Handiwork Games creations you can find them through their website: https://handiwork.games/  follow them on twitter: @GamesHandiwork or support them on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/handimonsters
Beowulf: Age of Heroes was Nominated for Best Electronic Product ENnie award and their a|state primer, Nicely, Done was nominated for Best Free Product. you can find both of these on the Drive Thru RPG page here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/10726/Handiwork-Games
As Always a huge thank you to Paul Mackie for our rockin' theme song and to the fabulous Hannah Miller for editing the show together. 
Comments ratings and reviews definitely help the show out so please feel free to leave whatever you can where you get your podcasts and let me know what you thought of my discussion with Jon. And of course be sure to tell 19 of your closest friends.
See you next time when 19 Hits the Dragon! 
 

Season 2 Episode 9: Believe In The Heart Of The Cards; or How to Kickstart Your Inspiration With Randomness

Have you ever gone to your well of inspiration, whatever mental or emotional place you go to draw up ideas for your stories, and found that well dry or close to empty? Well today I'm joined by Ryan Johnson author of the DMs Guild campaign Wintry Blast to talk about his strategy for forcing inspiration. 
 
Ryan draws random MTG cards and converts them to D&D creatures, encounters, magic items and the like. His campaign on the DMs guild call came from ideas he got out of one booster pack. 
 
In our chat we discuss the challenges of incorporating disparate elements into your stories and how everything doesn't always come together easily. The answer isn't always obvious. Sometimes you have to stew on things and shift them around to make them fit. 
 
Ryan introduces the concept of resonance into our conversation and how, even though we're using random elements we still have to fold each of those elements into the bigger picture to create a story that is unified. 
 
If you are interested in seeing Ryan's conversion process for yourself you can follow him on twitter  @rjquestgiver or check out his blog. You can also support him by buying his adventure Wintry Blast on the DMs Guild. 
Here is a link to the M.T. Black article Ryan references in today's episode  Narrative Resonance and Random Dungeons
 
Thanks again for checking out today's episode, don't hesitate to leave a comment letting us know what you think of Ryan's idea generation advice. And tell 19 f your closest friends. 
As always a huge thank you to Paul Mackie for our power metal theme music, and of course to the lovely Hannah Miller for editing the show together. 

Season 2 Episode 8: Editing The Movie On The Fly: or Table Management

The role of Game Master at a table is something of a circus act, a juggler or plate spinner keeping all the pieces moving and enthralling your players as a participating audience. This is something that requires skill and like all skills requires time and practice to execute flawlessly. Like any showman however you must also be aware of audience or your table in the case of a Game Master. The biggest difference between the Game Master and a typical performer is this direct interaction. So being aware of your players, their intentions, interests, and involvement is absolutely vital to having an enjoyable game. 
Today I am Joined by Ishmael Alvarez  A.K.A. Elven Wizard King, a community manager and Dungeon Master of his own live streamed game and DMs Guild author, to discuss these aspects of table management. He's got some really great advice on how to craft your sessions and stories around your players intentions and fuel the things that keep them excited as well as how to handle conflicting interests at the table and keeping everyone happy while finding the best compromise. 
If you're interested in seeing or hearing more from my guest today you can find his streams and Vods on Twitch or YouTube, check out his DMs Guild publishings here, or follow him on Twitter @ElvenWizardKing.
As always a huge shout out to Paul Mackie for our rockin theme song and a big thank you to our editor Hannah Miller. 

Season 2 Episode 7: In It For The Long Haul; or Tips For Creating and Maintaining Your Campaign

It's no secret that many TTRPG games are fairly short lived for a variety of reasons. There are however the chosen few out there that are able to carry a campaign to completion. Last episode I sat chatted with Christian Borchert to talk about how to keep your players invested so they return to your game week after week. Today we're going to talk about the other side of that. You've got your players coming back now what do you to to make sure the campaign you're running is interesting and has the momentum to take the players all the way to max level. 
I'm joined by David Stallings, the DM of Pair-O-Dice Lost, to discuss just this. We recognize that we are a bit of a rarity in the TTRPG space and have taken multiple D&D campaigns to a conclusion with the players at level 20. From concepting your campaign story idea, involving the player characters in a variety of ways, maintaining momentum and cranking up the difficulty, David and I offer tips on how you too can run a campaign and keep it going until your players are practically demi-gods. 
If you're interested in seeing or hearing more from David and Pair-O-Dice Lost you can check out there Youtube Channel here, or find them on Twitter @p0dlost  also available wherever you get your podcasts in audio version. 
As always a huge shout out to Paul Mackie for our rockin intro and outro music, and a big thanks to our wonderful editor Hannah Miller. 

Season 2 Episode 6: How to Keep 'Em Coming Back for More

One of the unspoken roles of the Game Master is the responsibility for bringing everyone together for each session. Doing that successfully requires a certain set of skills. Investing your players in the games, in their characters, and in each other as a group takes work. Without the knowhow it can be really difficult. Often TTRPG groups will fall a part due to a lack of cohesion or fall prey to the highest CR monster of all, the dreaded Schedule Conflicts. 
This week I am joined by Christian Borchert the creator of My Sound Delve who is hear to share his insight into how to keep your player group engaged, keep them interacting with each other and keep them coming back to the table every session. 
We discuss ways to create a group identity via various social platforms (Not sponsored by Discord), using minis or character art, unique maps or terrain, and giving players agency over things happening in game. All of these tools and more can be used to invest players in your game and have them anxiously awaiting your next session. 
A Huge thank you to Christian for coming on to the show today. You can find his app My Sound Delve available on Android https://t.co/YX0KfrcCnT?amp=1 and Apple https://t.co/ZUaRK3hJxo?amp=1 or learn more on his website: https://t.co/kKUadpndnY?amp=1. You also can find them on the socials like Twitter https://twitter.com/MySoundDelve, Instagram https://www.instagram.com/my_sound_delve/ and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mysounddelve
Lastly but certainly not leastly, a huge shout out to Paul Mackie for the rockin' Intro and Outro Themes. And our Editor Hannah Miller for mixing all of this together.

Season 2 Episode 5: T.I.P.S. for Making NPCs; or Creating the Illusion of Depth

The world is full of interesting and unique people, but filling the world up yourself can seem like a daunting task for a GM. You're players keep asking every guard their name, wanting to know the back story of every person in the tavern, or possibly the true motives of the quest giver. So how do you handle that?
Well never fear dear listeners. David Easley, the GM of Trials of the Apocalypse joins me today with his advice on whipping up unique NPCs with ease. He created a great acronym (that I'm definitely stealing) T.I.P.S. to give a framework for NPC creation. 
Additionally we discuss ways to use some of tools on the fly when you suddenly need a new NPC you hadn't planned for. The true secret, as we discuss, is to give the illusion of depth to these characters and we offer some great advice on how to create that facsimile.
A big thank you to David for joining me for today's discussion. You can hear him GM Trials of the Apocalypse wherever you get your podcasts or check  follow this link to find them on your podcatcher of choice: https://linktr.ee/TotaPodcast.
If you enjoy what you hear or make use of any of our advice it would be really great if you left us comments, ratings, or reviews wherever you get your podcasts. And of course be sure to tell 19 of your closest friends!
Huge shout out to Paul Mackie for our rocking intro an outro theme and as always to the incredible Hannah Miller for editing our nonsense together. 

Season 2 Episode 4: We're All Beginners Once; or, Tips for the 1st time Game Master

Are you an aspiring Game Master? Have you and your friends been interested in playing D&D or another TTRPG but no one wants to step into the Role of GM? Maybe you've been watching Critical Role and now you're itching to run a game yourself but you're feeling nervous about getting behind the screen? Well fret no longer friend. Today Dan Ryan of Non-Fiction Gaming sits down with me to share some tips on how to get started as a new GM. 
Dan has been involved in D&D and TTRPGs for many years and has had the chance to coach up many new DMs at various PAX events (Penny Arcade Expos). He is here to share the knowledge and wisdom he has gained and gleaned from time teaching others as well as running games himself. 
So whether you've been creating a homebrew world from scratch and are sitting on all of your deep lore, or you've never looked at a D&D adventure in your life but you're eager to play, We're here to coach you on how to pick up a starter set get some friends around the table, be it virtual or physical, and get to rolling them bones right away. 
With some hot tips such as: Start in the action, have the players interact with the game mechanics as soon as possible, walk your players through their first dice rolls, include a small combat some developments and then wrap the first session up with their first boss battle; you'll be GMing like a pro in no time.
You can Find Dan and Non-Fiction Gaming on their website at https://www.nonfictiongaming.com/ or catch them on Youtube, Twitch, or twitter @nfglive or @SheriffDann. Dan talk about turning the Hangover into a 1-Shot. You can read more about that here:  https://www.nonfictiongaming.com/2016/09/28/turning-hangover-star-wars-rpg-eote-session/ 
His session 0 character questionnaire can be found here: https://www.nonfictiongaming.com/2017/05/16/questions-dm-ask-players-starting-dd-campaign/
He also mentions Sly Flourish's videos Tips for the Lazy Dungeon Master.  You can find the playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb39x-29puapg3APswE8JXskxiUpLttgg
As always a huge thank you to Hannah Miller for editing the episodes and to Paul Mackie for our rocking theme song.

Season 2 Episode 3: It's a Trap!

Traps are a longstanding tradition in Dungeons and Dragons and many other tabletop RPGs. Whether is through ambush, bamboozle, ensnarement, pitfall, or a demonic face with a sphere of annihilation in it, Game Masters have a variety of ways they can ensnare their player.
Today I am joined by Josh Newton and Lewanika Miller of Tabletop Journeys to inspire you our listeners on how to craft unique traps for your games. From the intrigue laden social snares, to simple mechanical traps, to deadly environmental hazards, we cover a variety of options that you can fill your toolkit with to keep your players on their toes. 
As a bonus we've each crafted a unique trap that would make Admiral Akbar scream in surprise and terror. Feel free to steal and use in your games. Let us know how your party responds to them!
If you're interested in learning more about my guest or checking out their show you can follow them on all of the socials @ttjourneys or on their website at https://ttjourneys.com/
As always a huge thank you to Hannah Miller for editing the show and to Paul Mackie for our rocking theme song. 

Season 2 Episode 2: People of Substance; or, How to Give Life to Your Characters

Tabletop RPGs come in a variety of forms and offer a myriad of options in terms of style, setting, theme, goals or purpose. One thing that is central to all TTRPGs however is the player character. As Sean so aptly puts it in our discussion, "It's hard to have a story without characters." And while the Lone Wolf Rogue can be fun to play for a time we want to peel back the layers to discover who these characters are and what makes them interesting. 
Today Sean McStravick of The Arcanery and Game Master's Toolbox joins me for a conversation about how to create interesting characters for your Tabletop RPGs. They help me breakdown several questions that you our listeners can ask about the characters you are crafting for your games: What do I want from my life? Who, or what do I value most? What do you do when you come across a seemingly decent fellow but are being paid to kill them?So if you're feeling like your Player Characters are getting stagnant, or if you are tired of playing Generic Human Fighter for the umpteenth time, these questions and more will help you create dynamic characters, with personality and depth to them. A special thanks to Sean to for joining me on this journey today. If you want to hear or see more from them you can find them on twitter with the handle @That_One_Guy or @TheArcanery and check out their work with the Arcanery and Game Master's Toolbox here: https://linktr.ee/TheArcanery
 
As always a huge thank you to Hannah Miller for editing the show and to Paul Mackie for our rocking theme song.