19 Hits the Dragon

Episode 8: Blaster Casters; or, Mike and Rob's Favorite Spells, Part 1

Today's episode of 19 Hits the Dragon is a slice of something different. Up to now, the show has mostly talked shop about how to navigate tabletop RPGs. How do you play? How do you run a game?  Once you've got the basics of running down, how do you keep things interesting for the players?
But for the next couple of episodes, Mike and Rob are stepping away from this great responsibility, choosing instead to use their great power to geek out about their favorite D&D spells. This isn't meant to be a list of the 'best' spells, whatever that means; this is just two guys who like D&D elaborating on their favorite ways to make things go boom, starting with the coolest cantrips and working all the way up to the 9th-level reality benders.
Since there are so many spells that can do so many disparate things, this first part is focused entirely on combat spells – spells that do damage, heal damage, prevent damage and make it easier for your friends to do all of those things.
All this and more in Episode 8 of 19 Hits the Dragon! Check it out! Tell your friends! And remember to like, comment, and subscribe! 
Contact us on Twitter @19hitsthedragon, or email us at 19hitsthedragon@gmail.com.

Episode 7: Session Zero; or, Yeet Up the Hypotenuse

It may not seem like it at times, but we do live in the future. Gone are the days in which tabletop gaming was a tyrannical affair, in which over-prepared Game Masters dominated their tables with iron fists and their nihilistic whims. In this new future, tabletop gaming is a democracy, where players and Game Masters collaborate to make the game fun for everyone. Neat!
One of the cornerstones of this brave new approach is known as Session Zero – an pre-campaign session in which the Game Master sets expectations, each player talks about what they want to get out of each session, so that when the game itself starts, everyone knows what's going on. Super neat!
But how do you conduct Session Zero in a way that is both productive and more fun than syllabus day in driving school? (Sit up straight, bud.) Fortunately, Mike and Rob are here to talk you through how to run a Session Zero that checks all the boxes, and leaves your players feeling respected and eager to get rolling!
All this and more in Episode 7 of 19 Hits the Dragon! Check it out! Tell your friends! And remember to like, comment, and subscribe! 
Contact us on Twitter @19hitsthedragon, or email us at 19hitsthedragon@gmail.com.

Episode 6: Downtime; or, Making Your Players Do All the Work

The battle is concluded, and, despite your best efforts to slay the player characters according to the precepts set forth in Episode 5, the heroes have emerged triumphant! Hooray! But also, uh...now what?
Now it's time for downtime, of course! It's not like all that sweet loot is just there to sit around and look pretty, after all. But, much like it's deeply unchill compatriot, combat, downtime can quickly devolve into a chore, as party members listlessly wander from tavern to shop to tavern.
But it doesn't have to be like that! Mike and Rob are here to talk you through how to spice up your downtime sessions. Through a combination of preparation, improv, and making your players do all the work, you can craft downtime sessions fun enough to satisfy even your group's twitchiest murder hobo!
All this and more in Episode 6 of 19 Hits the Dragon! Check it out! Tell your friends! And remember to like, comment, and subscribe! 
Contact us on Twitter @19hitsthedragon, or email us at 19hitsthedragon@gmail.com.

Episode 5: To Flank or Not to Flank

19 Hits the Dragon is back to bring you the second part of our two-part combat series!
Part one was dedicated to staying organized before combat begins, that you are set up for success once the dice start falling. Part two expands on this, as Mike and Rob delve into what to do once combat begins to make it an interesting and immersive extension of the roleplaying experience, and not a dull exercise in things hitting other things until some of those things are dead.
The question of how to do this is examined largely through examining the teachings of tactics guru Keith Ammann, author of the essential blog The Monsters Know What They're Doing (www.themonstersknow.com), which he has spun off into books on the subject. Check his stuff out; Keith is a great writer who knows what he's talking about, and does a great job of breaking his considerations down, so that they make sense to everybody. It's a revelation!
Also, Mike and Rob get into a civil, reasonable, and spirited debate about flanking rules. Dissent and discord! Similar premises leading to separate conclusions! All this and more in Episode 5 of 19 Hits the Dragon! Check it out! Tell your friends! And remember to like, comment, and subscribe!
Contact us on Twitter @19hitsthedragon, or email us at 19hitsthedragon@gmail.com.

Episode 4: Punch Up Your Encounters; or Tactical Adulting

19 Hits the Dragon is back again!
Episode 4 is the first in a two-part series on combat. Tabletop RPG combat sounds like a blast but often falls flat. What should be the most exciting part of your game can easily devolve into a grim slog, as both enemies and player characters alike spend two real-time hours running straight ahead into each other's faces, attempting to hit each other until one or both parties are dead.
Mike and Rob are here to let you know it doesn't have to be that way! Combat can be as dynamic and varied as everything else in your game, but the first step towards making it so is getting your sheets together. Therefore, the first part of our combat series is dedicated to organization, so that when the Initiative dice have fallen, you'll be able to focus on making the fight as rad as possible instead of scrambling to remember whose turn it is.
All this and more in Episode 4 of 19 Hits the Dragon! Check it out! Tell your friends! And remember to like, comment, and subscribe! 
Contact us on Twitter @19hitsthedragon, or email us at 19hitsthedragon@gmail.com.

Episode 3: Homebrewing; or, Cracking Open a Brewski

19 Hits the Dragon returns! In Episode 3 of 19 Hits the Dragon follows up on Episode 2's advice for Game Masters with a discussion homebrewing, the art and science of creating your own adventures, campaigns and player options.
Homebrewing is a noble pursuit – every Game Master wants to run the campaign of their dreams – but it is also a fraught one. Game Mastering is always work, so how can you give yourself even more things to do as a GM without driving yourself crazy? Fortunately, Mike and Rob are here to ease this burden and help ensure that you aren't constantly scrambling to figure out your entire adventure to the last detail, and hopefully save you from utter madness.
All this and more in Episode 3 of 19 Hits the Dragon! Check it out! Tell your friends! And remember to like, comment, and subscribe!
Contact us on Twitter @19hitsthedragon, or email us at 19hitsthedragon@gmail.com.

Episode 2: How to Run a Game; or, Communication Breakdown

Happy Black Friday! What better way to spend your day scrolling endlessly through online retail listings as your search in vain for the perfect wire breadbasket for your Great Aunt Eugenia than with us, Mike and Rob!
 
In this episode, we follow up on our guide for new players from Episode 1 with our guide for new Game Masters. How do you run tabletop games? How should you prepare and organize for running a game, and how do you deal when your players inevitably and frequently leave your grand master plans for the campaign in ruins? How openly and often should you communicate with your players? (The answers, respectively, are 'very' and 'constantly'!) Should you be a d*ick? Again, the answer is no, don't be a d*ick. 
 
All this and more in Episode 2 of 19 Hits the Dragon! Check it out! Tell your friends! And remember to like, comment, and subscribe!
 
You may contact us on Twitter @19hitsthedragon, or email us at 19hitsthedragon@gmail.com.

Episode 1: Where to Begin or Don't Be a D*ck

Behold! 19 Hits the Dragon!
Open the Eleventh Seal! The Epoch of Orcus is at hand!
By this, I of course mean welcome to the launch of 19 Hits the Dragon, a new tabletop gaming podcast featuring me. Rob Mackie, and my good friend Mike Daniel!
There's some good old fashioned breeze shooting to start off, and here, we must issue a correction. Mike and I discussed the game Cyberpunk Red without giving due credit to its creator, Mike Pondsmith. Mike Pondsmith is a living legend of the tabletop RPG world, and he deserves all the shine. On behalf of Mike and myself, we would like to apologize for this research failure. This was the first episode we recorded, and we didn't think to look it up at the time. We promise to do better.
The bulk of our first episode, however, is a discussion about how to get started as a new player in Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition. What class do you wanna be? How does playing the game actually work? How should you comport yourself at the gaming table? Should you be a dick? (The answer there is decidedly, no. Don't be a dick!)
If you want to contact us, you can find us on Twitter (@19hitsthedragon) or drop us an email (19hitsthedragon@gmail.com).
Check it out! Tell your friends! Remember to like, rate, and subscribe!